Neon Genesis Evangelion: Revelation
by OmegaGear
Summary: Set after Ep 24 with some changes to expand the story. Instrumentality is at hand, but humanity is not alone. A new threat appears, destroying the foundations that Seele and Nerv were built upon. Now they must fight for survival and search for answers. Please R/R
1. 1:1 Original Sin

Disclaimer: This is yet another fanfic with a number of changes made to the original story that will not be explained until later. This is an ongoing fic that has no definite end planned. The events are simply how I would like to see them, so you can criticize them if you'd like. And suggestions are appreciated, since I'm having trouble isolating each character's persona.

I do not own Evangelion or any of characters in this fic. This is a fan production made in my free time and is not intended to breach the protected rights of Gainax.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:1**

**- Original Sin -**

**By: OmegaGear**

* * *

Shinji sat in the seat of the entry plug with his head lowered. A low hum was all he could hear, which he had learned to associate with the minimal activity mode of an Eva. Unit-01 was no longer in cryo-stasis, having been removed since it was the only remaining Eva with a capable pilot. If all went well though, Unit-01 would be put back in within a week.

Across the large testing chamber, he could see Unit-02; standing with its arms locked by restraints and power cable plugged in its back. The Eva was completely silent, having not yet been activated. Still… a sense of guilt and dread crept into Shinji's mind as he looked upon the four-eyed beast.

He could start to hear his heart beat over the hum of the entry plug as he remembered the last time Unit-02 was active. The last time it fought in battle. The time of the seventeenth angel's attack. The time when Kaworu Nagisa revealed himself to be Tabris. The former ally had become a fierce opponent. Shinji didn't want to fight his friend's Eva, knowing she would hate him for it, but in the end, he had to defeat it in order to reach Kaworu. He didn't think it possible, but he could've sworn that the red Eva wore an angry look on its face at the time.

"Injecting the entry plug now," a woman's voice could be heard over the cockpit's communications system.

Shinji watched as the thin tube was inserted between Unit-02's shoulders and locked in by the back plate. He watched with emotionless eyes, feeling an emptiness due to the events of the past few days. It all seemed so pointless now. After Kaworu betrayed him, he felt like he had lost everything. All the people he trusted were no longer the same. They all had changed, leaving him behind.

"Filling the LCL fluid now," the same woman, said. Maya watched her monitor as data was displayed, confirming that the entry plug was completely filled with LCL, and the pilot was conscious. "We're ready to proceed, ma'am."

Ritsuko had her glasses hanging low on her nose as usual when doing an activation test. Her hands were resting in the pockets of her lab coat as she looked at the many screens showing the different phases of the activation sequence. "Right… begin charging the LCL."

"Roger," Maya said, typing in a simple string of commands. "LCL is fully charged, ma'am."

"Proceed with the A-10 nerve connections," she ordered. She still had a stone face of concentration, but was genuinely worried inside. This was the hardest part of preliminary activation tests, and usually ended in failure. If they failed to activate Unit-02 with the pilot, they wouldn't have many options if an emergency occurred.

"Nerve connections in groups seven through thirteen complete," Maya said. "Approaching the absolute borderline."

"Acknowledged," doctor Akagi said, already knowing they could move forward before getting the report. "Begin activation sequence."

As the crew of the testing center typed in commands and reported their data readouts, Misato stared as the green eyes of Unit-02 began to light up. This was the second Eva activation test she witnessed, not counting Shinji's emergency activation nearly a year ago. She began to wander off, remembering what she would call a fiasco at best and a nightmare by all means.

Unit-03, possessed by the thirteenth angel, Bardiel, went berserk, leaving a crater where the second testing facility once was. Misato didn't see what happened next, but saw what it did to Shinji. When she tried to contact him after the incident, she immediately realized that Shinji had reached his limit. Shinji would no longer accept what his father did to him.

Shinji also remembered that dark day as he watched Unit-02's activation test proceed. He was horrified when he first saw the target approaching between some hills. It was Evangelion Unit-03. Horror consumed his heart as he was ordered to destroy it, knowing that within the lost Eva was another kid just like him. Trapped against his will and dealt his fate by his heartless father.

The eject signal was submitted, cutting off all nerve connections between the possessed Eva and the pilot trapped inside. Something prevented the plug from ejecting though, leaving it plainly visible with the back plate thrown off during the eject sequence.

Seeing the plug confirmed Shinji's fears, causing him to freeze. Even if it meant his death, the tormented boy refused to kill another human being.

Unsatisfied, the thirteenth angel lifted the motionless Eva and threw it against a nearby hill. The relentless beast proceeded to strangle it and put an end to mankind's hope.

That was enough for Shinji though. He fought valiantly and was able to overpower the mad Eva. Commander Ikari, however, was not satisfied with simply defeating the Angel. When Shinji refused to destroy the dead shell of an Eva, control was transferred to the newly equipped dummy plug system. Unit-01 became an unstoppable machine of destruction.

Shinji had begged for his father to stop, but the Eva continued to strip the black armor from the flesh, and tear it asunder. When Shinji saw his Eva remove the entry plug and grip it in its hand, he tensed his entire body and released his anger in a single cry for his father to stop.

The lights in his entry plug dimmed, and Shinji felt the control arms of the cockpit slacken in his hands. Shinji expelled what little was left of his breath in a sigh of relief. Somehow, he had stopped it. Unit-01 shut down with Unit-03's entry plug held in its hand, completely intact.

After that disaster, NERV and SEELE were unwilling to risk reactivation of Unit-03, despite reports that it was salvageable.

Since then, NERV has begun building a new Unit-03 for the 4th child while the 2nd branch in the US restarted construction on Unit-04, despite the disaster they experienced with the S2-Engine activation test. Misato didn't have to wonder why though, because without any major project, the US branch would have been shut down, cutting off a major money source for the Americans.

"Releasing final safety lock!" Maya shouted, rushing Misato back to reality.

As the screen showed the final lock blinking as it was slowly approached, she began to worry. Besides Asuka's activation of Unit02, she had never seen or heard of a successful activation test the first time through. Sure, Shinji was able to do it in Unit-01 the first time, without any training, but Unit-01 was a different story all together. She found herself holding her breath, concluding that this would be another failure. That was the reason for the presence of Unit-01.

Although the testing chamber is built for only one Eva, Unit-01 was included in the now cramped area incase Unit-02 went berserk, which was the case in most activation test failures. With resources of every kind running thin, Commander Ikari no longer wanted to take any risks. And with what's happened in the recent past, no one questioned his orders involving Unit-01.

"Activation confirmed!" Maya yelled, a hint of surprise in her tone.

Unit-02 remained still, its green eyes glowing. No sound came from the giant, making it seem just as dead as before, but it was active. They had succeeded in isolating an alternative to the use of Unit-01, which was deemed "too risky" since it consumed the fourteenth angel and developed an S2 organ.

Everyone in the viewing chamber was just as still as the Eva, not quite believing that the test actually passed. No one knew if the fourth child had successfully synchronized with Unit-03 before the Angel took it over, but with the recent failures at supplying a different pilot for Unit-01 against the 14th Angel, everyone had their doubts. No one expected Unit-02 to accept another pilot, even if the original had problems synchronizing with it.

After a lengthy moment of silence, Maya read her monitor, "All readings are steady. The pilot has synchronized with Unit-02."

Misato made smirked. _Huh… Just like that, all fears are washed away and the sleeping beast is finally awake again._ "How's the pilot doing?"

Ritsuko leaned over and read the data that was transmitted from the cockpit. "His life signs and brain wave patterns are all reading within the acceptable limits."

"And just what does that mean?" Misato hissed, not wanting the technical boundaries mentioned.

Ritsuko laughed faintly, "It means that the pilot is doing just fine." She hit another button, opening a channel to the pilot, "how do you feel, Toji?"

There was a brief pause before a reply came, "eh… I'm feeling okay… I guess." The words were muffled a bit, as they usually were when received from a pilot within an Eva.

Ritsuko gave no sign of hearing what he said; continuing to type in commands and read data as it was transmitted. Misato was guessing that she probably didn't hear what he said, because she didn't really care. "Any trouble breathing?"

"…No"

"What about Moving?"

"I feel a bit stiff, but I can move," Toji's voice was low and emotionless.

Ever since being chosen as the 4th child his spirited self seemed to disappear. Misato thought about it for a while and found that he had changed to be what Shinji was like a year ago almost. She wondered what was so horrible about being an Eva pilot to Toji that he suddenly became so dark.

"You'll get used to it," Ritsuko said, standing up straight and looking at the motionless Eva. "Synchronization ratio is 27%. Nothing spectacular, but at least it's something."

"Whoa, way to make the pilot feel like he accomplished something," Misato retorted, attacking Ritsuko's "all business" attitude that seemed to make everything that much more depressing.

The doctor didn't dignify her attack with a response and continued with the standard test procedure.

"Alright, this test has been completed. Begin shut down sequence." Her words are lost, however, as an alarm goes off and the main screen went red with alert and error warnings.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Toji sat in the cockpit seat, staring through the blank screen in front of him. He knew that the vision through the cockpit was really a video feed from the eyes of the Eva, so no image was there while it was inactive. All he could see was the yellow hue of the LCL fluid he was submerged in. He didn't really remember his first activation test, which Shinji tells him is a good thing, so everything seemed new, but with an odd sense of familiarity.

The cockpit suddenly lit up, causing several different patterns to appear one after another, over the viewing monitor. He continued to relax as he was instructed to before the test began, concentrating on as little as possible. That proved difficult, as he soon found himself dwelling on his resentment towards being a pilot. He didn't really think it was a truly horrible thing, but wondered if it was being a pilot that made Shinji, Rei, and the red haired devil, Asuka, so weird. From what he had heard, the pilots all had pretty unique lives before becoming pilots, so maybe it wasn't so bad.

Then there was his sister, who was hurt in the first Eva battle. Toji didn't think about that much. His sister yelled at him for beating up Shinji over her injuries and said she'd be dead if it weren't for the Eva. After some rational thinking, he agreed, feeling guilty to this day for hitting the new kid twice over it and only taking one punch back a few days later.

So why did he deject being a pilot so much? His sister was in a better hospital as part of the deal and he was now getting support money from NERV.

His mind was cleared as he heard Doctor Akagi ask him a question. He thought about the answer for a moment, checking all his senses. "Eh…" he groaned, "I'm feeling okay… I guess." The answer was as accurate as it could be. All his senses were working, but he felt awkward in the LCL. He didn't notice anything when he climbed in during the battle against the 4th angel, but he was more concerned with his impending death than how weird it felt inside the cockpit.

"Any trouble breathing?" the doctor asked.

He took a few breaths, concentrating on how his chest, throat, and mouth felt during the action. It wasn't quite like breathing air, but he was breathing, "…no."

"What about Moving?"

Toji went through another series of personal tests, concentrating on each body part as he moved them in every which way. He could move, but everything was sluggish in the strange liquid. "I'm a bit stiff, but I can move," he finally said in a dead tone.

"You'll get used to it," is what the doctor said in response, obviously not really caring that his answer hinted at irregularity.

He listened as the doctor and the others in the observation chamber talked about the successful test. One thing worth noting was when Misato snapped at doctor Akagi for being negative in regards to his sync ratio.

After a while, Toji began to relax, getting used to thinking about nothing. He began to wonder how Asuka broke down, failing to synchronize. She always made it a well known fact that she was the best Eva pilot and even wore her headset all the time to stand as a constant reminder of just that. So what could have possibly caused her to lose all that?

Toji's mind began to fall into deep thought on the subject as the shutdown sequence was ordered to end the test. He didn't hear or see anything, however, as the screens suddenly shut down, and the LCL seemed to choke him. Toji heaved and grabbed his neck, trying in vain to pry the choking hands that weren't there.

He could faintly here Doctor Akagi's voice shouting over the com, asking him to respond. Before he could answer she asked what was happening. He didn't know how to explain it, but answered

"It's... rejecting me…" he croaked weakly.

He wanted to say more, but felt a new pain. A sudden tight pinch on the back of his neck caused him to throw his head back. His entire body began to shake violently as his muscles tightened, fighting the pain. Amid his silent cries through his struggling breath, he heard another's voice.

No, not a voice… it was more like a moaning sound, or grunt. It was so loud it shook the entry plug and echoed through the boy's head. It was low and aggressive, sounding as if it meant to threaten the new pilot as an intruder.

The growling became a low, curious hum, prompting the pain in the back of Toji's neck to suddenly jump in intensity. The increase was so great it pummeled his entire body, nearly tearing him from his seat. His limbs jerked involuntarily while his head began to feel like it was being torn apart. All he could hear was the violent shaking of the cockpit, the static of the instruments trying to reconnect, and the curious hum of what he had concluded, was Unit-02 itself.

As the pain reached its apex, a flash of noise and images rampaged through his head, causing him to mentally and physically scream, unable to take it all in. He couldn't make out anything that the Eva seemed to show him, or draw from him. As the experience overtook him, Toji threw his head back and his arms out and screamed at the top of his lungs. He heard the hum get louder, returning to a roar, and then suddenly stop. The entry plug went dark, turning blue as all the instruments shut down, but a few emergency lights. Toji let his body go limp now that the pain was gone, and fell over in the pilot seat. He was breathing heavily and could barely move. The hum no longer touched his ears.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"Cut the power!" Ritsuko yelled, trying to stop the problem from getting any worse as quickly as possible. A man confirmed the order and pulled a large switch, removing the umbilical cable form Unit-02's back.

The cable dropped to the ground and Unit-02's internal power began to count down until it ran out. There was a minute and five seconds of power to wait out.

"Abort the test!"Ritsuko yelled.

The young scientist threw out orders as the Eva began to go wild. The neural links were starting to be severed, but not by the NERV personal. Before they could even order anything to happen, the links broke, one by one. The links weren't breaking because of a failure to synchronize with the Eva, however.

Ritsuko and Misato had seen this sort of severing once before. It happened to Rei Ayanami, the first child, when she tried to synchronize with Unit-01 to fight the 14th Angel. In this sort of situation, the pilot's nerves aren't connected with the Eva, but still experiences extreme physical and mental trauma.

"Oh no!" the scientist said, realizing what was happening. "The neural links are being rejected! Submit the eject signal!"

"It's no good!" Maya screamed. "Nothing's being accepted! It's completely out of control!"

"It won't accept anything?" Misato dreaded that it would come to this, and it had. Unit-02 would never synchronize with anyone but Asuka now.

The red giant began to shake under the hold of the locks on its arms. Its head lunged forward, trying to pull its shoulders loose, but the locks maintained their hold.

Misato ordered Shinji accordingly as the head of military and combat operations, "Shinji, move Unit-01 and intercept!"

"Damn!" was all Shinji said as he put Unit-01 into combat mode. The horned beast came between its four eyed brethren and the command chamber, arms ready to intercept it if it ever broke free from its restraints.

_It's just like before!_ Shinji began to tremble inside the entry plug as he remembered his last battle with Unit-02. _Asuka, I'm sorry!_ Shinji raised his head and faced the red demon. Unit-01 hunched lower, preparing to spring to initiate its defensive assault.

The red Eva continued to jerk its head and shoulders, pulling at its restraints. It began to roar as it fought harder, struggling against its imprisonment.

"What's the status of the pilot?" Misato cried, unable to take her eyes from the enraged beast.

"The pilot's brainwaves are fluctuating!" Maya reported. A single graph on her screen showed a yellow line climbing and falling rapidly at random intervals. An un-rhythmic beeping noise trailed the line, marking each pulse of the pilot's mind. "They're going off the scale!"

"What?" Misato couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was going wrong.

"Activate the Bakelite system!" Ritsuko ordered, going to her last resort. "Aim the hoses at Unit-02's legs! We have to secure it!"

Several panels in the walls opened, revealing large hose nozzles. A red liquid was fired from them and onto Unit-02 as it continued to struggle. This was the same liquid used on Unit-00 when it became berserk during a test with Rei. It solidified quickly, forming a strong hold on whatever it was attached to.

An automated message was brought up and a computerized voice began to speak. "Shut down in 10… 9…"

Ritsuko continued to order her team, "Prepare a rescue team to retrieve the pilot!"

As the red liquid spread over the Eva's body, it roared one final time, throwing its head up and opening its mouths. Four white eyes glowed within dark spaces under the armor. An instant after this happened, the Eva became silent, and the countdown was halted. The eyes dimmed, leaving a blank darkness on the Eva's revealed face.

Everyone stared in awe at what they had witnessed. They had experienced all the developments before, except one. Not once, had they seen a berserk Eva shut itself down while still having power available. They never wanted to stop.

After a minute of complete stillness, Misato spoke, her words betraying her fear, "Wha… what happened?"

Ritsuko was staring at the time that was frozen on the main monitor. The countdown of internal power had ended at 0:03:22.

"The Eva… shut itself down," she said. She looked at all the monitors, reading everything as it came under her vision. "Unit-02… rejected him…"

The blonde scientist began to give out orders and examine the data their instruments displayed before Misato fully regained her wits. When she did, she cut her old friend off by yelling.

"Never mind all that!" she yelled. Misato waited until she had Ritsuko's attention before continuing. "What about the pilot?" she asked, letting her composure return a bit.

Maya answered her, reading the numerous graphs on her screen.

"The pilot's life signs are all normal," she stated, a sigh carried by her words. "However, there was a sudden burst of brainwave activity before the Eva shut down."

Misato had heard that one before. More often than not, the pilots experienced brief moments of extreme mental trauma before the end of a failed Eva activation. With the mental attacks of angels fifteen and sixteen, however, the phrase had lost its effect. It could have meant anything now. At the moment, Misato wasn't in the mood to accept that as an answer, "and what exactly happened with that?"

Ritsuko was still analyzing other graphs when she answered Misato's question.

"It would seem that the Eva tried to make first level contact with the pilot," she said flatly.

"What?" Misato dragged out her aimless question with a wide-eyed stare. "Is that… possible?"

There was a moment where nobody moved as everyone thought about it, all thinking the same thing. Ritsuko broke the silence, saying what everyone wanted to.

"It would seem so," she said. Although, in the back of her mind, Ritsuko knew it wasn't supposed to be possible. At least, not with an Eva that had already had a "successful" contact experiment.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Toji sat reclined in the pilot chair within the entry plug. He felt extreme anxiety and was breathing heavily as if he had just eluded death. More and more, it was beginning to shape up that piloting an Eva was suicide. He had always admired Shinji for sacrificing so much to do it; to save others, but never imagined it was that horrible. His entire body now ached, muscles strained from flexing during the struggle. _But… against what?_ Toji thought to himself, trying to regain his senses and wits. _What was I struggling against?_

Toji was still dazed when the LCL was drained from the cockpit. It felt strange to be breathing air again, and he found himself taking deep breaths just to get accustomed to it again. The air felt heavy with humidity, making each breath uncomfortable to take in and a relief to exhale. Once the liquid was completely drained, he noticed that he felt uncomfortable. The stickiness of the LCL lingered on his skin, making his plug-suit feel like a wetsuit drenched in syrup. His nose cringed as he took in the scent as well. It smelled of humid air and warm blood. The type of smell you would only find in the most damned of places. Toji couldn't even think of such a place when the cockpit's hatch was opened.

Artificial white light poured into the entry plug, blinding his already weakened eyes. Toji's instinctual reaction was to raise his arm to shield his eyes, but committing such an act did little to shade his vision while sending a wave of pain through his shoulder and torso.

Two shadows appeared in the blinding cascade of light. As the teen's eyes focused, he made out two people in biohazard suits. One of them looked at the other and nodded. "The pilot is conscious, ma'am. We're removing him from the entry plug now."

"Roger," Doctor Akagi's voice echoed in the massive testing chamber. "Once you've secured him to the stretcher, take him to room 302. I want all of his life signs monitored until ordered otherwise."

The two shouted confirmation of their orders and slowly lifted the pilot form his seat by his arms. Toji groaned as his body felt irritation in sore muscles, but couldn't say anything in the messy blaze that his senses were in. Despite all his pain, he could even feel his body hit the stretcher or the straps being tightened around his limbs. His body felt an indescribable pain within, but was dead to the outside world. After a short amount of thinking, he saw it as a blatantly obvious metaphor for the mental condition of the other Eva pilots. _Is this what causes them to be like that?_ He wondered. _Will I… will I become like that too?_

The thought of it scared him half to death, losing his sense of personality. He wanted to do something to get his mid off of it, but all he could do was watch the ceiling move as the stretcher was pulled through hall after hall to the NERV medical facility. He thought about the halls he passed through and his final destination, unintentionally forgetting about becoming a living doll. _I guess this means I won't be visiting my sister after all._

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ritsuko sat alone in the viewing section of the testing chamber. Unit-02 was no longer in the chamber, replaced into cryo-stasis in the first cage. Unit-02, however, remained.

With the exception of the entry plug removal, the Eva was untouched after it deactivated itself. The lights were all shut off, leaving only the faint blue emergency lights on. Within the darkness of the testing chamber, the giant stood, arms locked at its sides and to the far wall. Its legs were shoulder length apart and slightly bent, the only sign of movement besides the head. The head is what troubled the young doctor the most. Right before the Eva deactivated itself, it threw its head back, opened its two mouths and let its angry white eyes glow for the briefest of moments. Now that she thought about it, the deactivation was harsh, considering it was the Eva that did it.

"It would seem that Unit-02 is becoming aware as well," a man's voice said. The voice was low and monotone, carrying no emotion. The doctor knew it could be only one person. It was Commander Ikari.

"Yes," Doctor Akagi answered her tone also emotionless. "It would seem so…"

That was the only explanation she could come to for the Eva's behavior during the test. An instant before the pilot's brainwaves become unstable, the Eva's own wave patterns changed. She concluded that the Eva was looking for Asuka, and when she was nowhere to be found, it got angry, and shut itself down. _Every Eva has a soul… A soul that desires another, and only one other._

"This is an unexpected development," the commander continued. "SEELE is wary about Unit-01 becoming a God. If they were to discover that Unit-02 was also experiencing similar developments…" The commander stopped talking, waiting for Akagi to finish for him, confirming that she understood.

"They'll destroy us," she finally said, disgusted at realizing how much she had lied to herself the past few years.

"Correct," the commander confirmed, letting no trace of fear escape him, if there was any. "In order to preserve their plan; to preserve instrumentality, they would have the Gods man created destroyed as well as their creators."

"What would you have me do?" she asked.

"There is nothing we can do," he said, "not at the moment." Despite his greatest efforts, Doctor Akagi could pick up on a sense of disappointment in his voice. "Just be ready. When the moment comes, I'll need you."

Akagi wanted to feel joy in being needed by Gendo Ikari, but his tone made it all too clear that he meant it strictly business-wise. No, he wouldn't need her, specifically. She just happened to be the best person suited for the job. The thought of submitting to such a despicable man sickened her, but she accepted her disgrace. She accepted it, for she still hung onto a glimmer of hope that, some day, he would love her.

The conversation over, Commander Ikari turned and exited the testing chamber. As the door slid shut, hissing as the air lock sealed, Doctor Akagi turned to look at the number blinking on the main screen. _3 seconds and 22 hundredths… 3:22._ It didn't take her too long to find the irony in the number. _Genesis 3:22. Then the Lord God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever."_

The woman grinned, more for irony than any sort of humor she found in the message.

"Like Adam before us," she said to herself in the darkness. "We have committed the original sin. Creating a man like God himself… what blasphemy." She leaned back and gazed at the blank ceiling, "and now… we shall be cast from the Garden of Eden…"

Although religious, the doctor didn't know how to interpret the Bible with modern events, no matter how ominous. She knew that SEELE had written their own Dead Sea Scrolls from interpretations of the originals and the book of Revelations, the final chapter of the Bible. Thus far, they had been right, if not perfectly exact. And if they were right, and God had predestined man's fate, the end was near.

"For man, who has committed sin, can no longer walk with God," she finished, exiting the room and leaving the sleeping Eva.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:1**

**- Awaken -**

* * *

Shinji sat next to Toji's bed in room 302, waiting for him to wake up. Ritsuko had cleared Toji to leave, but wanted him to stay the night, just in case. Since being removed from the entry plug, Toji was put to sleep so that they could perform their tests on a stable mind, free from random thoughts. There were no abnormalities, which relieved the young pilot of Unit-01.

As he watched Toji lie there, resting peacefully, Shinji began to wander. _Ever since being selected as a pilot, Toji has known nothing but pain…_ Shinji sat up and rolled his eyes upward, as if it would help him focus his mind. _Maybe it's time I told him to stop piloting. No one else should need to suffer._

His train of thought was broken, as there was movement in the bed before him followed by a quiet groan. Toji turned his head to look at Shinji and smirked, "Shinji… came to check up on me, huh?"

Shinji returned the slight smile, although it was empty of joy and full of worry. "Yeah, how do you feel?"

Toji didn't answer his question at first. "Well… you're no Misato, but thanks for coming. It makes me happy knowing people care," the taller boy said, returning his eyes to looking at the ceiling. "I feel fine."

Shinji leaned forward, almost in protest to his friend's answer. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice sounding distressed. "If you feel uneasy, maybe you should reconsider being a pilot." His words came out before he really thought about what he was saying. He didn't want it to come out like that.

Toji lay still for a long time, the blankest of looks on his face, before finally answering the suggestion. "Shinji," he called out to his friend.

"Yes?" Shinji gave Toji his complete attention.

"I could have said no when they first came to me with the offer," he turned his head as he spoke. "But I didn't, even though I knew it would change my life forever, possibly for the worse."

"Why?" Shinji asked, completely lost for a possible reason for Toji's choice.

"Because as a pilot, I can make a difference," he said, smiling.

Shinji looked at his friend in amazement. He never expected his blunt friend, who thought so quickly and little of every situation to want to make a difference on such a grand scale. "I don't understand… I thought you hated Eva."

Toji laughed in contemplation of his short disliking of the Evas. He had struck down the new kid, Shinji, in frustration for his sister being hurt in the first battle with the Angels. "I did… but not anymore." He finally said.

"Even after the pain you felt in Unit-02?" Shinji continued to press on, searching for a way to convince his friend otherwise. He didn't want to see another kid get hurt, especially his good friend, Toji.

"Look, Shinji," the taller boy said, his voice suddenly becoming irritated. "I know you don't want to see me get hurt, but you have to understand that I know what I'm getting into." Toji once again set his eyes upon the ceiling, looking at nothing but the emptiness of the white tiles and fluorescent lights. "Ever since my sister was hurt, I despised Eva, but what I was really doing was hating myself. I couldn't forgive myself for not being able to protect her." He paused and turned to look Shinji in the eyes, his own burning with life. "This is my chance to do what I couldn't do then. Now I can protect her from further harm."

After Toji was finished, no one spoke. Shinji sat in his chair, a bit shocked by what his friend said, but understood. Although he didn't want to see his friend get hurt, he decided he would have to accept Toji's answer.

"Speaking of which," Shinji finally said, changing the subject as a way of telling Toji he understood. "Your sister misses you, but understands that you're busy these days."

"My sister?" Toji asked, a bit unprepared for her being mentioned. "Did you tell her what happened?"

"No," Shinji said. "I simply told her that you were tired after the test and needed to rest as ordered by Ritsuko."

"Thanks," Toji replied. He let out a breath he had been holding ever since Shinji mentioned his little sister. "I don't want her to worry about me. Thanks a lot, Shinji," he said, smiling at his friend. "You're a good friend."

Shinji returned the smile. He noticed that Toji's smile wasn't the same carefree smile he usually wore when he was happy, such as lunchtime. It was a more mature and sincere smile.

"You're welcome," he said. Shinji let the moment of peace sit briefly before getting to his feet. "I'd better get going," he said. "I have to check up on Asuka."

"Alright," Toji replied, settling into a more relaxed position in the bed. "Good luck."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato sat at her desk, tapping a pen on a pile of papers she had to fill out. She was going over NERV's combative abilities, and it didn't look good. With only Units 01 and 02 available, and Unit-02 rejecting all, but the comatose pilot, their options were very limited. Unit-01 was supposed to be in permanent cryo-stasis, but it was the only available Eva now. And like Unit-02, Unit-01 would only accept one pilot, Shinji Ikari.

"Knowing how Shinji feels about piloting, it looks pretty dim for us," Misato said to herself.

Upon thinking of Shinji, Misato remembered the other documents she had to fill out. As Shinji and Asuka's guardian, she had to fill out reports on their behavior and status regularly. Asuka's was easy these days. Her condition was the same as always, in a light coma. Shinji, however, was different.

Ever since Rei sacrificed herself and Unit-00 to destroy the 16th angel, he became distant from Misato. Shortly after that, Ritsuko showed Shinji the truth behind Rei, and he became distant from Rei. After Kaworu, the 17th angel betrayed him; Shinji had pretty much entered a mental breakdown.

_He'll pilot… but there's no telling what could happen._ Misato slumped in her chair and sighed. She felt sorry and worried for her youngest roommate. Just when things were starting to look up for him, things fell apart, one after another.

First, the 12th angel's Dirac Sea absorbs him, and he experiences heavy mental trauma. Second, his father forces him to destroy Unit-03 with the pilot, his friend Toji still inside. Toji survived the occurrence unharmed, but the act did more than trouble Shinji. Third, he's absorbed by Unit-01 while fighting the 14th angel and is lost for a month. Fourth, the 15th angel rapes Asuka's mind, shattering her pride and settles her into depression. Shinji is unable to handle the loss of someone he cares about so deeply. After that were the events with Rei and Kaworu.

Misato leaned on her desk and rested her head on her arms. She didn't know what to do. With everything falling apart, she didn't feel like filling out any forms. She just wanted to talk… to be with Shinji and Asuka again. She wanted her family back.

"You look troubled," a woman's voice said, stating the obvious.

Misato spun her chair around to see her old friend, Ritsuko.

"Oh, it's you, Ritsuko," Misato tried to sound happy when she spoke, but couldn't with everything that was going on in her head. She sighed as she leaned in her chair to relax. "Yeah…" she said, looking away. "Asuka's still in a coma and Shinji keeps shutting himself out from me. The only person he seems to want to be with is Asuka."

Misato's scientist friend crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the edge of the doorframe. Her glasses were hanging low on her nose, as usual, and she seemed troubled herself.

"A lot has happened," she admitted. "Shinji sees everyone differently now. I don't know for sure, but I think he's seeking a sense of familiarity through Asuka, the only person who has yet to act differently towards him."

At hearing her friend's words, the other woman sighed and looked at the ground.

"What did I do to make him look at me so differently?" she asked.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

It was the same thing, everyday. Shinji came to visit Asuka in room 303 of NERV's private hospital. He came to see if she had woken up yet, but nothing ever changed. Her life signs remained steady and she continued to sleep without pause. Every day for the past month, Shinji was by her side, desiring her company. But why did he want it? What did he seek from her? She never gave him any sort of comfort with her constant insults, poor treatment, and complaining.

The past month was filled with Shinji coming and telling Asuka about his day and asking how she was doing. She never responded, but he felt comfortable talking to her. He knew she couldn't hear him, but felt that she was the only person he could go to now.

Rei had become unsettling to be with since he learned of her true nature. The revelation that she was one of dozens of clones was very disturbing to Shinji, but that wasn't the only problem. Shinji had decided that he was willing to accept the new Rei, for reasons he couldn't explain. The new Rei, however, made that very difficult.

Rei's third clone didn't seem to carry any of the calm of the second, coming off more cold than anything else. She also appeared angry whenever someone else was present. Shinji didn't let that chase him away at first, but her behavior persisted no matter what he did, and it eventually pushed him away.

Things only became more complicated when he confronted Ritsuko for more answers, and learned the truth about Rei being a clone of his mother. After that, he couldn't find it in himself to face Rei again.

Shinji also had trouble talking to Misato. Whenever he'd try to, she'd give him advice and correct him as if he were wrong to think the way he did. He knew she was just trying to help, but he didn't need that. What he really needed was someone to listen to him. Maybe that's why he came to Asuka everyday with his problems.

He didn't have anything to tell her today though, yet he still came. He sat in a chair next to her bed, just as he did in Toji's room minutes ago. His legs were pressed together with his hands resting on his thighs. He sat up straight, keeping his eyes on the girl's pale face.

_It's the same as yesterday… _He thought to himself. He sighed as he was saddened by her unchanged status. _She's still in a coma… No change at all in nearly a month. Not even the slightest change in brain activity._

Even though she was in a coma, her face looked sad and troubled. Ritsuko had told Shinji that Asuka's coma is a very rare type, caused by extreme mental conditions. Apparently Asuka had entered a mental loop and slipped into a coma, continually running the loop in her mind. Shinji didn't know for sure, but he suspected that the loop had to do with not being able to synchronize with Unit-02 and whatever the 15th Angel had done to her when it entered her mind.

_Asuka… what happened to you? _He wondered.

Shinji wanted to help her, but there was nothing that he could do. All he could do was wait and hope for her to wake up. When she did, he would be there, ready to welcome her back. She never did that on the numerous times he was injured, but he felt compelled to be there for her. Shinji suddenly found himself feeling warm as he thought about her. He continued to watch over her as he thought about why he was doing all this. He thought about why he was doing all of this for her.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

She didn't know how long it had been, but it felt like an eternity; the same memories playing in front of her on an invisible screen, time and time again. Her mother lying in bed, talking to a doll like it was her. She was talking to the doll about killing herself and killing her so they could be together. Then it moved on to her mother hanging from the hospital room ceiling. It was the day she was chosen as the second child. Next to her mother's limp body, hung the doll she thought was her. The memories that followed were flashes of her life after declaring that she'd never depend on others ever again; that she'd never cry again. Most of them were of her rejections of Shinji's help and insults to keep him away.

Asuka clenched her fists. She had had enough and wanted it to stop.

"Why are you showing this to me?" she screamed, her voice echoing through the expansiveness of her mind. After she heard no reply, she stomped her right foot and screamed even louder. "Damn it! Answer me! Why am I seeing all this!"

The memories stopped playing, and her surroundings became dark. A light was shining on her, but nothing else could be seen. She stood in the halo of light, wearing her red plug suit. Another light appeared to her right and a little girl appeared in its beam. The girl was about four years old, long hear flowing down to her waist. She appeared pale in color, but it wasn't just her skin. Her eyes, hair, and even her clothes were all faded in color. It was Asuka when she was a child, holding a monkey doll that her step mother gave her.

"It's… you," Asuka said, recognizing her young self, but surprised by its appearance.

The girl gave no response, and stood in the light, holding the doll in her arms like it was her sole possession. Asuka recovered from her surprise and began to demand answers.

"It was you who was showing me all those horrible things! Why did you show me those memories?" she asked.

"I showed them to you, because you need to stop running," the girl said, her voice cold.

"Running?" Asuka asked, more in disbelief than confusion. "I'm not running from anything!" She kept her hands clenched in fists, unable to vent her anger by words alone.

"Yes you are," the girl said, her voice calm, but still cold.

A memory lit up around the two, colors slightly pale as if they were beginning to fade from her mind forever.

"You barely remember that day," the girl said, "but ever since then, you've been running away from the affection of others. You've been running from the truth."

Asuka watched the memory of her discovering her dead mother and grabbed her head while she began to scream.

"No!" she cried. "I don't want to remember that!"

"You see?" the young Asuka said. "Even now, when faced with the facts, you run."

Asuka knew her younger self was right, but refused to concede defeat. She let go of her head and pointed at the memory.

"And just what the hell does this have to do with running away from affection?" Asuka shouted. "She wanted to kill me!"

The girl's gaze remained on Asuka as she gave her answer.

"This is where it all began," she said.

The area around them became dark as the faded memory vanished, much to Asuka's relief. They stood facing each other within their spotlights as the girl continued to speak.

"That was the day you began to run from the affection of others."

"And how would you know?" Asuka insinuated. "You're just a figment of my imagination! You don't know anything!"

"I am more than a figment of your imagination," the girl corrected. "I am you."

"You're me?" Asuka placed her arms on her hips and laughed, "Ha! Like I'd ever be as weak as you!" She pointed at the little girl, anger in her eyes. "Look at you!" she shouted. "Holding that doll like it'll make you feel better! You're pathetic!"

"It is you who is pathetic," her younger self stated. "You are unable to accept the help and opinions of others; the truth. You run away from them."

"I don't need anyone's help!" Asuka repeated. "I don't need Shinji's help!"

Asuka got on her knees and grabbed her head as more memories flashed around her. They showed Shinji saving her in Unit-01 and defeating Angels she could not. They showed him cooking lunch for her everyday and cleaning her room. At the end of every scene, she did nothing but yell at him and make him feel unwanted.

"I said nothing of this Shinji, yet you proceed to talk about him." The girl turned her gaze from Asuka for the first time since she appeared to watch the memories play. They were more vibrant than the one of her mother dying. "What is he to you?'

Asuka sprang to her feet at having heard the question. Out of instinct and a developed reflex she shouted, "Shinji is nothing to me! That idiot is a spineless excuse for a human being! I hate him!"

"You are still running from the truth," the girl said. "You cannot hide from the truth here, within your subconscious."

More memories came into focus around them as the girl spoke, magnifying her words like an orchestra of vision and sound. The memories all had one thing in common. They all involved the third child, Shinji Ikari.

"You don't know anything!" Asuka Shouted. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to hide from seeing the memories. As they became louder, overlapping each other, she covered her ears and screamed. "Shinji is nothing to me! I hate him!"

As her words echoed, the memories flew apart and vanished, replaced by a single memory that solidified around them. Unlike the other memories, which had appeared like images on a screen, this one drew them into the environment, making it seem like they were part of it. To their left they could see Shinji sitting with his knees bent, listening to his SDAT player. Asuka was leaning over the dining table, tapping her finger, obviously thinking about something.

Asuka in the memory spoke, "Hey, Shinji, you wanna kiss me?"

Shinji looked up in confusion and removed his earphones, "huh?" He hadn't hear her clearly.

Asuka lifted her head from her arms and addressed him more directly, "You know, kiss me. Ever kiss a girl before?"

Shinji shook his head, "uh uh," he had uttered.

"Well, then let's do it," she said, giving him a mischievous smile.

Shinji jumped back and had a scared look on his face.

"What? Why?" he asked.

"There's nothing else to do" Asuka said. She continued to speak in her un-serious tone.

Shinji looked away. "That's a stupid reason."

"Aww… what's the matter," Asuka began to speak in a mocking tone, teasing the boy she lived with. "Can't kiss a girl on the anniversary of your mother's death?"

Shinji dropped his head and shut his eyes slightly at hearing her mention the event that made the day important to him.

"That's not it…" he said softly.

"Then maybe you're scared," she teased, knowing this would send him over the edge.

Shinji got to his feet. "I'm not afraid! Pucker up!"

Asuka also got to her feet, "Right! Did you brush your teeth?"

Shinji nodded and Asuka began to walk towards him, "Then here I come!"

Asuka watched as she stopped mere inches from Shinji and looked him in the eyes. She could feel her heart beat harder and started to feel slightly flushed as she began to remember what she was watching. She listened as she told Shinji to stop breathing and watched as she plugged his nose and touched lips with him. She gasped, remembering how it felt. She'd never admit it to anyone, especially Shinji, but it was her first kiss.

The younger girl watched with empty eyes, looking as if she were watching it for the first time.

"What is this, then?" she asked. She continued to watch as she waited for Asuka's answer.

"That?" Asuka said, a bit uneasy. She was still feeling a flush in her face from remembering the event, and was having trouble coming back under control. When she finally recovered, she clenched her fists and shut her eyes in protest. "That's nothing!" she shouted.

"It looks like you're kissing him," the young Asuka said. She continued to watch, her eyes no longer empty. They seemed to fill with a yearning. They looked sad and deprived as the kiss continued and Shinji began to turn red. The little girl hugged her doll tighter, desiring comfort in a kiss such as that.

That is what Asuka's past self was; a young girl that desired the love of others. This part of her life was abandoned after her mother committed suicide. After that, she never allowed herself to get close to others, for she feared that they would betray her. She was afraid they would hurt her. Asuka had shut out this aspect of herself for so long, she didn't recognize it and forgotten why she kept herself distanced from other people.

"So?" Asuka yelled, irritated at the girl's comments. "Just because I kissed him doesn't mean anything! I only did it to kill time."

"You did not do this to kill time." The younger Asuka watched as the kiss broke. Shinji jumped back, taking in a large breath of air. His face was nearly blue when he was freed and it took a while for its normal color to return.

"Sure I did," Asuka said matter-of-factly. The memory showed Asuka break for the bathroom and wash out her mouth. "See?"

"I speak not of your cowardly retreat," the former Asuka said, cold as ever.

"Excuse me?" Asuka was beginning to get angry again "Retreat from what?"

The girl hugged her doll tightly as she spoke. "From your feelings for him."

"Feelings?" Asuka's eye twitched in disbelief of what she heard her past self say. "For Shinji?" She looked over at the boy who stood there, staring at the bathroom door as Asuka whined about making a mistake. "Get real! I told you the kiss was just to kill time!"

"Why do you lie to yourself this way?" The girl asked, almost whining.

"Lie?" Asuka again found herself surprised by what her past self said to her. She quickly recovered and went about her usual way of avoiding the truth, "I don't need to lie to myself like that pathetic Shinji!"

The girl's voice was no longer whining or cold, but curious. "You say he is pathetic, yet you would have your first kiss with him?" she asked.

Asuka held her head down. She was beginning to lower her defenses, or they were crumbling. She repeated, "It was just to kill time." Her voice was sad and asked for the girl to stop asking about this scene in her life. "What does it matter that it was my first kiss? It meant nothing to me!"

"Then what is this?" The memory replayed, except it was a shorter part of her kiss with Shinji. His face had just begun to turn red from lack of oxygen.

"What are you talking about?" Asuka shouted, not understanding what her past wanted her to see. "That's the same thing you just showed me!"

The young girl growled, angry at Asuka's inability to see what she was showing her. The fragment of the memory played again, except the sound was a lot louder. Asuka watched, eyes wide in realization of what it was her past wanted her to see. She could hear herself moaning into the kiss, because she enjoyed it.

"Alright!" Asuka shut her eyes as she shouted. "That's enough! I admit it! I enjoyed the kiss!"

"So you admit that the kiss was more than to kill time?"

"Yes!" Asuka cried, sounding like she was admitting defeat.

"You admit that you enjoy being with Shinji that way?"

Asuka didn't answer at first, and was starting to tremble. "Yes!" she finally shouted.

"You admit that you have feelings for this Shinji Ikari?" The girl put her hand out towards the boy who stood, lips locked with Asuka's in the memory.

"Yes!" Asuka's head was down, and she had begun to cry. Her body was trembling as she let out her feelings after nearly a year of hiding them from everyone, including herself. "Yes, I admit it!" She repeated. "I admit it! I have feelings for Shinji!"

The memory vanished, and the two were once again surrounded by complete darkness, the two halos of light shining over each of them. The only sound to be heard was Asuka's crying.

"Why are you crying?" the younger girl asked.

Asuka tried her best to stop the tears, but could do little as she spoke. "Don't you get it?" she sobbed. "I have feelings for Shinji!" She took a moment to try to come under control, but continued to cry as heavily as before. "I have feelings for Shinji and all I've ever done is tell him I hate him!"

"Why must you cry because of that?" her past self asked. "Why don't you just tell Shinji how you feel?"

Asuka's words were broken up by her crying. "Because I can't," she mumbled.

"Why can't you tell him how you feel?"

Asuka could do nothing but repeat her last answer. "I can't… I just can't."

"Why do you continue to run, even after realizing the truth?" The girl asked, her voice becoming angry again.

"Because I'm scared!" Asuka shouted, finally breaking from her pouring tears. "I'm scared that he'll hate me!"

"Why would Shinji hate you?"

"He'd hate me, because of how I've treated him!" Asuka said, admitting how terrible she had been towards him her entire time with him. "He'd hate me for lying to him for as long as we've known each other!"

Once again, their surroundings came to life as memories played out for them. They watched as Shinji prepared breakfast for her one morning. The previous night had been particularly bad for her, and she had ended it by slapping him for trying to comfort her. Despite all that, Shinji woke up earlier than usual to make her a special breakfast.

"Does it look like he hates you?" the girl asked.

"No…" Asuka had to admit. Despite everything she did to him, he always treated her like she was a princess.

Asuka began to feel herself calm down and feel at ease for the first time since her odd dream began. Watching Shinji cook something just for her brought a warm feeling to her face. Asuka smiled as she watched him put an omelet on her plate.

"Shinji…" she said, a tear running down her cheek.

"Asuka?" Shinji's voice sounded surprised.

Asuka opened her eyes and saw a blank white ceiling above her. Her eyes had trouble focusing, having been closed for so long, but she could make out the faint shape of someone watching her.

"Shinji?" she mumbled.

"Asuka!" Shinji cried. Tears filled his eyes as he smiled. "Asuka, you're finally awake! Oh my God! I'm so happy! You're finally awake!" Shinji wiped his tears with his arm as he continued to talk about how happy he was that she was finally awake.

Asuka smiled as her eyes finally focused and she could finally see Shinji clearly. She was happy to see him again. She watched him cry as he told her how he visited her every day after school, and even stayed the night many times. She felt her face blush at hearing him and was thankful that his face was still down, an arm wiping undying tears. She was about to say something, but was cut off as she opened her mouth.

"You were the only person I could go to, Asuka." Shinji cried. "No one else would listen to me."

Asuka didn't know what to think all of a sudden. _He was using me the entire time?_ She thought harshly and began to get angry. He continued to talk about how he came to her to talk about his day, but she wanted nothing of it.

"Oh, shut up, Shinji!" Asuka scowled.

Shinji suddenly stopped crying and looked at Asuka, a surprised look in his eyes.

"Huh?" he gasped.

Asuka's eyes burned with an anger he rarely saw. Sure, she was angry a lot, but now she looked genuinely pissed at him. She was angry at being a tool.

"You idiot!" she shouted. "Leave me alone!"

Asuka turned in her bed, leaving her back to Shinji and bundled up as much as she could in the thin hospital blanket.

Shinji sat in silence, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. Tears outlined his eyes and he began to cough as they forced their way out. He sniffed and wiped his eyes.

"I understand, Asuka." He coughed as his heart trembled and his chest heaved to take in air against the rushing tears. "I'm pathetic," he continued. "I don't deserve to talk to you. I'll leave."

Shinji got to his feet, still trying to stop his crying. He slowly walked towards the door, sniffing and wiping his face with his arm. As the door opened, he stopped and said, "Goodbye… Asuka." His voice sounded sad and sorry. It was sad at being rejected, and sorry for making her angry.

As the door shut, Asuka began to cry.

"No, Shinji, you're wrong. I'm the one who's pathetic!" Asuka whispered to herself, finding it hard to speak the words as she cried. "I'm the idiot!"

**To be continued…**

And there's my first attempt at writing a fanfic about NGE. I hope you liked it. Any reviews, criticisms, suggestions, or comments are much appreciated. I especially want the aforementioned involving the characters. I don't want to be too far off on any of them, even if this is my own vision. I was going to end it NGE style, with an episode preview, but I don't know where I'm going with this, so I can't really do that, now can I? I may add it in later.

Updated 4/19.2011: Reformatted for easier reading and clarified some past events.


	2. 1:2 The Gift of Love

Shinji sat on a bench in the pilot locker room in his sealed plug suit. He was staring at his unused locker with his clothes neatly folded and piled to his right. It was his usual ritual before a sync-ratio test, if you could call it that. After getting suited up he always sat with perfect posture and waited in silence.

Shinji never knew why he was like that. He had assumed it was because he was alone in the locker room, but he was the same now, even though Toji was next to him, changing into his own plug suit. He knew why he was silent this time. He had had something on his mind. _Asuka…_

Toji hit the button on his right wrist and the air in his plug suit was sucked out. The rubbery body suit clung to his body like a new layer of skin. It felt awkward at first, but Toji gradually got used to it. The tight suit emphasized his physique, bringing out the cuts in his muscles and making him look even bigger than he already looked.

Toji's plug suit was nearly identical to Shinji's in design, but replaced the younger boy's white chest piece with a navy blue colored one. Toji didn't like wearing bright colors, so he was rather satisfied with the colors NERV issued him. After completing it by putting on his hair clips, he placed his exercise suit in his locker and shut it.

As he closed his locker he glanced over at Shinji and sighed. _He's still keeping to himself…_ Toji began to stare at the third child as he continued to think. _He's been like this ever since Asuka woke up… I thought he'd be happy that she was awake, even if she is the Devil._

Shinji noticed Toji staring at him with from the corner of his eye. His high school friend had a sad look in his eyes, but Shinji wasn't interested in asking why. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened a week ago. Asuka had rejected him as usual when she finally woke up from her coma. He hasn't seen her since.

Shinji sighed. While Asuka was in her coma he came to her every day, seeking comfort in her. He thought that he did it because she listened, but eventually realized it was otherwise. _The entire time all I wanted was for Asuka to treat me like she always did. I wanted her to be the same Asuka, unlike everyone else whom had changed…_ Shinji's eyes wore a sad look when he thought about what he thought he wanted. Asuka had acted just as he wanted. _So why does it hurt so much?_

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:2**

**- The Gift of Love. -**

**By: OmegaGear**

"The time is at hand," a voice echoed through the pitch black chamber.

Commander Ikari and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki stood in the middle of the chamber illuminated by a single light. They were in their usual sitting and standing positions respectively, meeting with SEELE. The men of SEELE were represented by twelve monoliths of black metal with red numbers and SEELE glowing from their otherwise blank faces.

The voice continued its declaration, "mankind now stands alone, posed to take that which it was promised by God to Adam. Human instrumentality is at hand."

"But," another voice interjected. "Without the Lance of Longinus we cannot use Lilith to complete the project."

"Therefore…" a third voice paused briefly. "Our only hope is to use the one true offspring of Lilith."

"Evangelion Unit-01," the first voice said. The voice was low and firm, meaning to sound absolute.

"That was not part of SEELE's original plan." Gendo Ikari interrupted their discussion of the end of humanity.

"Neither was the use of the lance!" The voice was not of the original three, and sounded irritated at Ikari's remark.

"Creating the Evangelion was the pinnacle of mankind's existence," Fuyutsuki added in support of his superior's argument.

"Humanity must evolve," the grim man continued, unaffected by the outburst against him. "It must shape this brave new world. That is why the Eva Series was created."

There was another moment of silence as the committee thought over what the two said, but they knew better. Ikari and Fuyutsuki knew that there would be no swaying of SEELE's plans. They were simply explaining themselves before the end. To emphasize that unspoken fact, the first voice finally spoke.

"We need not cast aside our human forms to use Evangelion Unit-01 as our own private offering," it said, almost calm in its reverie.

The second voice continued for the first, explaining the whole idea behind human instrumentality. "It is merely part of the process to free us all for rebirth."

"The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth," the third voice declared. "Through the sacrament of death, God, and humanity, and all living beings will be united and reborn as one." The words were like some prolific tale from the Bible, and truthfully, they were derived from just that. They mirrored the coming of the apocalypse as told in Revelations, the final chapter of the Bible. They spoke of the third coming of Jesus where mankind would face its judgment and become one with God or be cast into the eternal sorrows of Hell.

Ikari had no intention of seeing such an event in his day. "Death creates nothing," he said darkly.

"You deserve death," the first voice retorted, intentions showing through the dark tone. "Your death will create an opportunity."

The twelve giant tablets vanished around the two men as they had said what they needed to say. Although no orders were given, or demands made, the message was clear. With the angels now gone, SEELE would move forward with their plans to achieve their 'rebirth'. They would come for Unit-01, one way or another.

"Mankind exists because it has the will to live," the old professor stated in the room that was now only occupied by the two of them. Gendo Ikari sat in silence. "That is the will of she who chose to remain in the Eva."

The two men remained in silence in the empty chamber. They needn't discuss what SEELE said, because they knew this would come all along. Fuyutsuki knew of Ikari's private agenda for the Evangelions, particularly Unit-01. He knew of Ikari's plan to betray SEELE for his own goals, and went along with him, believing it would spare humanity of SEELE's instrumentality of the third impact. Now, he wasn't so sure. He didn't know if Ikari's plans were that simple anymore.

_This is it,_ he thought to himself. _There's no turning back now. For better or for worse, I am with Ikari._

**- x -**

Toji reacted to his friend sighing. Shinji was suddenly wearing a sad expression on his face. Toji flinched, nearly asking Shinji what was wrong, but decided against it. He could see that his only friend other than Kensuke was in need of help, but didn't know what to say.

He didn't have long to think about it, however, as Ritsuko's voice came from an intercom and called them to the sync-ratio testing chamber.

Toji stood and watched as Shinji got up without saying a word. He noticed that his friend's posture mirrored his face, and probably his mind.

Shinji let his shoulders slump and hung his head low. He let out a deep sigh as he stood, raising and dropping his shoulders as a way of better showing his sorrow. He seemed to lack any will of life in his body as he moved towards the door past his friend and fellow pilot.

Toji remained still as Shinji exited the locker room. The door slid shut to his left, leaving him alone in the small room. He looked to his right at Shinji's clothes and noticed that they were wrinkled. Normally he wouldn't think anything of it, but he knew that Shinji always neatly folded his clothes, pressing them so that no wrinkles showed. "You're troubled, my friend," he declared to himself. "Even a dumb jock like me can tell." Toji turned and exited the room, troubled by his friend's distress.

**- x -**

Rei sealed her plug suit and contemplated the state of the girls' locker room. Since it was a private locker room for only the female pilots, she was alone. Rei's clothes were scattered on the ground, since she didn't care much for tidiness. The only other thing the first child saw was a bright red plug suit that belonged to the second child.

Asuka was restricted from any piloting related activities until Doctor Akagi approved her return, so the plug suit remained in the same spot for over a month now.

Rei didn't notice much of a difference with the absence of the feisty girl, save for the impeding silence. She remembered how the red head would burst into the locker room after battles or sync-ratio tests, boasting her superiority or complaining about how Shinji beat her.

"He's so brave! He's so powerful! He's so… awesome!" Asuka had yelled mockingly in Rei's faint memory. She never paid too much attention to her fellow pilot's ranting, but seemed to hang onto this one occurrence. Did she think that what Asuka said was true?

_Ikari…_ Thinking about the quiet boy known as the third child made the albino feel strange. She felt warm, but trembled. It was like she was floating on air, but too weak to move at the same time. She didn't understand the feeling and thought about it frequently, but had no intention of going out of her way to find out what it was. Moreover, she didn't comprehend the memory as something she had experienced before. Her awareness of what she was told her that it was something the second Rei had experienced. Everything she knew and felt was not her own, but another's. But as a clone and successor to that person's physical and mental self, should she continue her path? Could she continue it?

The ocean of thoughts confused her to the point of frustration. More and more she found herself wanting nothing to do with anyone, because she knew her final destiny. She knew what she was created for. The second Rei may have lived and developed long enough to lie to herself of the commander's intentions, but Rei III knew better. Everything else was secondary to her purpose.

"There is no need," she said to herself. Her voice was soft and gentle; nearly inaudible even to herself. She remembered a man telling her that once, when she asked about doing things outside of school. It was the third child's father.

Rei suddenly squinted and clenched her teeth. She tightened her fists and shook with another feeling she didn't understand. _What… what is this that I feel? What do the Ikaris make me feel?_

Rei evaporated her thought trail as she heard Doctor Akagi call for the pilots to report for the sync-ratio test. The pale girl stepped through the door, taking one last look at the red plug suit behind her. Unlike the Ikaris, the thought of the second child made her feel nothing. Rei was suddenly filled with an eerie emptiness as she made her way to the testing chamber. She wanted everything to end.

**- x -**

"The pilots have entered the test entry plugs." Maya looked over her shoulder from where she was sitting at her boss and master, "we're ready to begin the test."

"Right," Ritsuko replied. She held a clipboard in her left arm and a pen in her right, ready to record the results by hand for whatever reasons she had. "Rei, Shinji, you know what to do."

"Right," they both replied at the same time. Misato noticed that Shinji's reply was depressed and almost submissive while Rei's was more hollow than usual.

Ritsuko gave no indication that she picked up on the changes, if she even did, and continued with the test in a strict business manner. "Toji, these sync-ratio tests are conducted with programmed test plugs. Although you'll be tested on Unit-02's program structure, you won't have to worry about what happened during your activation test."

"Understood," the teen replied, sounding serious. Toji sat in the test plug's pilot seat and tried to relax. He was still new at piloting Eva, so didn't quite know the best way to synchronize yet. On top of that, he couldn't forget what happened during his activation test in Unit-02.

Unlike his activation test with the former Unit-03, Toji remembered the Unit-02 experiment. The pain his body felt and the chaos in his mind. Since that day, his dreams have been littered with nightmares of that test. Every night the vision the Eva had forced into his mind began to piece together, but he still didn't understand the fragments.

His mind began to dwell on his nightmares just as the test began. As the test program was loaded into the test plugs, the LCL changed from yellow to blue. Toji took a deep breath and let go of his thoughts as best he could. The silent hum of the plug seemed to numb his brain, and he felt himself begin to ease.

"Hmm…" Ritsuko hummed as she read the sync-ratio graphs. She wrote down some notes on whatever was on her clipboard before returning her eyes to the graphs.

"What is it?" Misato asked.

"Nothing," her blonde friend said lightly. She bent over and leaned on the back of Maya's chair to get a closer look. "I'm just looking at the fourth child's sync-ratio graph."

"How does it look?" the purple haired woman asked. She wasn't completely interested, but felt like asking questions related to the sync-ratio tests to help her get her mind off of what she was really worried about.

"Promising," the doctor replied, standing up again. Her response to the question left a lot to be desired. Although it didn't say it was bad, it didn't say it was good either. Ritsuko was implying that she was surprised by the data, but wasn't getting her hopes up. "It's already increased five points from the activation test's 27% reading."

"32%?" Misato sounded surprised. "Wow. Not bad for someone who's been in an entry plug only three times."

"Four," Misato's scientist friend corrected her. "You let him and Mr. Aida get in without permission once, remember?" Ritsuko wore an evil smile on her face as she turned her head slightly to see her friend behind her.

Misato made an agitated face.

"You don't have to keep bringing that up," she retorted.

Ritsuko let out a light laugh at her friend's usual response. _Some things never change…_ Turning her attention back to the tests, the blonde woman noticed another change. _Indeed… some things never change…_

Misato noticed her friend suddenly look worried. "What now?" she asked.

Ritsuko sighed. "Shinji's sync-ratio has dropped again," she said.

"Again?" Misato sounded scared. Shinji's sync-ratio had dropped to 78% after the fight against the seventeenth angel already. The last thing they needed was for it to drop further. "How much has it dropped?"

Ritsuko remained silent. She looked away from her friend and began to fiddle with her clipboard, trying to look busy.

Misato didn't buy her act. "How much has it dropped!" she demanded.

Ritsuko was silent a moment longer before she finally surrendered the answer Misato sought. "It's dropped thirty-six points." The doctor turned her face away, knowing how Misato would react.

The purple haired woman stepped back and her pupils dilated from shock. "Thirty…" she whispered, unable to speak any louder. "It's dropped thirty-six points?"

"I'm afraid so," Ritsuko said.

"His sync-ratio is forty-two percent?" Misato continued to step away from the viewing windows of the command chamber as she mumbled to herself. "How… could…" She looked up at the three orange entry plugs standing in the testing chamber, still trying to recover.

"Major!" the doctor yelled, trying to rip the woman from her trance. "Major Katsuragi, get a hold of yourself!"

Misato blinked, returning her eyes to normal. She stood up straight and rubbed her forehead to try to stop the room from spinning. In all of her years with Gihern and NERV; through all the hardship and chaos; through the breaking of the pilots' fragile minds, she never witnessed a decline so large. "Are you sure?" she asked, still sounding dazed and confused.

"I'm sure," her friend answered, completely serious. "If this keeps up…"

"Terminate the test!" An angry voice shouted from the back of the room.

Commander Ikari was seated in the only chair that wasn't behind a computer terminal in his usual position. His elbows sat on a desk with his forearms propped up. He crossed his fingers under his nose and sat with his back hunched slightly. This gave him an overbearing appearance. He looked serious, contemplative, and cold. "We have what we need."

"Right," the blonde woman complied and informed the children that they could leave. Ayanami replied with a standard "roger," while Toji simply said, "right." Shinji, on the other hand, was completely silent as he shut down his test plug.

"Doctor Akagi," the commander beckoned.

"Yes sir?" she replied, a bit afraid of his possible wrath.

"File the results of the test and accelerate the building of Unit-03," he order.

The man stood from his seat and crossed his hands behind his back, forcing him to stand up straight and make him all the more fearful. As he turned to exit he glanced over his shoulder enough so that everyone could see the corner of his eye.

"Major Katsuragi, report to my office once you are done here."

"Roger," was all she said, afraid of what he wanted to talk to her about.

More than likely, it involved the third child's plummeting sync-ratio. Misato privately wished that the meeting would be strictly business, but knew that it would be much worse. Even though it would involve piloting matters, the commander was unusually cold and strict when it came to Shinji's progress. He would probably end their meeting by demanding to see the child himself, which wasn't good for anyone.

_Shinji…_ Misato turned her worried gaze towards the test plugs as the pilots exited them and climbed onto the platform that led to the command chamber. _What's happening with you? Why can't you tell me what's wrong?_

**- x -**

The three pilots entered through a door on the right side of the chamber and walked to their usual positions in the middle of the room. They were awaiting the results of their sync tests, but none of them were very interested. Rei did what she was told and didn't worry about anything unnecessary. If she was told to become a better pilot, she'd work to better her skills, but for now it didn't matter to the Eva-less pilot.

Toji was participating in a sync test for the first time, so didn't really know what to expect. His short attention span quickly made its way to thinking about what he'd eat once he got home. He crossed his arms in thought and made a face filled with concentration. His eyes looked up at the ceiling as he smirked, unsure of what he wanted.

Shinji didn't seem to care at all, which was probably the case. The third child walked past Ritsuko and Misato with his head held down, hiding his eyes from their faces. Misato kept still, but traced him with her eyes, a look of dread forming on her face as he passed her.

"Good work, Toji," Ritsuko said, addressing him by his first name as she did with all the pilots.

"Huh?" Toji wondered what she was talking about as he watched his friend continue to walk towards the exit.

"Your sync-ratio went up by five points," the doctor put her clipboard down by her hip and smiled. "That's very good, especially for such an inexperienced pilot."

"Oh, uh…" the tallest pilot rubbed the back of his head and smiled at the corner of his mouth. "Thanks!"

Toji tried to sound excited, but wasn't really interested in his improvement. Since he saw Shinji's depressed state he had moved from worrying about dinner to worrying about his friend. _Today's the day…_ He contemplated if he should do anything to help the boy, but concluded that there was nothing he could do.

Toji relaxed and followed his friend out the door with Ayanami close behind. The three teenagers were completely silent as they walked towards the locker rooms, unable to find anything to talk about. Toji wanted to ask Shinji what was bothering him, but didn't want to do it while Ayanami was present.

When they reached the locker rooms Shinji turned left towards the boys' room while Rei went right. Toji stood between the locker rooms and turned from looking at one pilot to the other. He watched them walk away, completely empty of any type of emotion. The scene was unsettling to him. Long after the two had entered the separate locker rooms, Toji remained standing in the hall, trying to think of a way to confront Shinji.

"You may go, Major." The doctor and Misato were still in the command chamber, even though there was nothing they had to do there. "You know what happens when you keep the commander waiting."

"Yeah…" Misato crossed her arms and leaned on a computer terminal. She remembered the numerous times she had to report to the commander with Shinji's "progress," if you could call it that. As part of being the third child's guardian, Misato kept records of Shinji's progress in school, life, and piloting, but the commander wasn't interested in any of that. The only questions he'd ever ask were for the status of the pilot and whether or not he'd pilot. Shinji's own father… The thought of someone being so careless made Misato sick.

As Misato began to walk towards the exit, Ritsuko beckoned her attention. "Asuka's finally going home tonight, huh?"

Misato exhaled heavily when she heard Asuka being mentioned. "Yeah…" Misato looked up as if gazing to the heavens for guidance as she ascertained the situation. "I don't know what happened, but ever since Asuka recovered from her coma, Shinji no longer visits her." The woman with purple hair turned around as she reached the door. Her eyes begged her friend for help. "I don't know what's going to happen when he sees her walk through that door."

"I don't know what to say," the other woman admitted. "Shinji's… difficult to predict." Ritsuko searched for anything she could say to help ease her friend's confusion, but came up with nothing. "Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll get over it with time."

"I guess you're right…" Misato agreed halfheartedly. _But waiting and getting over it doesn't solve the problem._ She continued to worry as she exited the testing chamber. As she made her way to Commander Ikari's office she moved her thoughts to a perfect example. _That's all Shinji's done his entire life with his father._

**- x -**

Shinji sat and watched his friend shoot a basketball after changing back into his school clothes. Toji had insisted that he come with him to relax after the tests, but he didn't really find anything relaxing about going to the NERV private gym, since he wasn't a very athletic person.

Toji wasn't enjoying playing by himself either, and left the ball behind after making a shot from three point range. He walked over to where Shinji was sitting and took a seat next to him. Leaning back and resting the back of his head on his hands. After he was sufficiently relaxed, he broke the silence. "Why don't you play?"

"I don't feel like playing," Shinji said. His voice was empty and down. Whatever had happened to him, it conquered his spirit.

"I don't feel like playing either, Shinji." Toji paused as Shinji looked up at him, a bit confused. He smiled and closed his eyes in contemplation. "You see, I play basketball, because it helps me clear my head when I have a lot of things on my mind." He opened his eyes again and looked at the other boy, "it helps me relax."

Shinji still looked surprised as he took in what his supposed simple minded friend had told him. "Well, then what's troubling you?"

Toji's face became series at hearing the question. "You are, Shinji."

"M… me?" Shinji leaned away from his friend as he was told that he was causing him trouble. "What did I do?"

"Don't take offense, Shinji," Toji assured his frightened friend. He waved his hand to show he meant to blow away the misunderstanding. "It's not your fault," he said. "I'm just worried about you, Shinji."

Toji got back to his feet and stretched as he continued his explanation. "I can see that's something's wrong." He walked over to the basket and lifted the ball from the ground. As he held the ball in his hands he turned his head to look at the boy who sat on the bench to his left. "But unless you talk about it, there's no way I can help you."

The taller boy ran along the baseline of the court and leapt into the air. With a quick rotation to face the basket, he made a 180 fade away that went in after hitting the far end of the rim. When the fifteen year old landed, he stood looking at the ground in shame. "I don't like being helpless, but that's how I feel. Every day I've watched you in your sad state, powerless to help you in any way." Toji didn't say a word after that. He just stood where he was and kept his eyes on the third child.

By then, the ball had bounced and rolled its way to Shinji's feet. The depressed boy looked at the spherical object as he thought about what Toji told him. _So even when I try to keep people from being involved, I only end up worrying them…_

"Hey, it's not like that!" Toji yelled from across the court.

Shinji shot his head, eyes wide with shock. _Did I say that out loud?_ "Not like what?" Shinji asked, hoping he could salvage his secret feelings of the situation.

"Shinji, you're easier to read than an open book!" the taller boy yelled. "You're blaming yourself for worrying me."

"Well, I don't want you to worry." Shinji had an apologetic face as he spoke innocently. He didn't want anyone to worry about him. He didn't want to cause anyone pain.

"Ugh, Shinji, you just don't get it." Toji continued to stay in his place as he spoke from across the court. His right hand was now clenched into a fist, but he didn't look angry. "You're not causing me to worry."

"Huh?" Shinji still didn't understand what his friend meant. "But you just said."

"I said I was worried about you, not that you worried me!" Toji's voice carried a heavy tone with its message. Shinji didn't understand perfectly, and that was painfully obvious to Toji, who noticed his friend was still confused. "Shinji," he said, relaxing his tone. He smiled as he relaxed and closed his eyes. "You always see yourself as the cause when people are worried about you." Toji opened his eyes halfway and looked into Shinji's. "Didn't it ever occur to you," he said, "that they worry because they care and not because you cause trouble?"

Shinji didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. His face relaxed and his eyes became wide with understanding of the revelation. He lowered his arms that he had raised in defense of himself and stared off.

Toji walked towards the frozen boy and lifted the basketball from the ground one more time. He turned his back to Shinji and lifted his arms, preparing to shoot. "That's why I worry, Shinji," he said as he threw his arms forward and released the ball. The ball swooshed through the net, making a sound that brought a smile to the teen's face. "It's because I care for you as your friend," he said, turning around and walking past the bench Shinji sat on. "And as your friend, let me give you one piece of advice."

Toji stopped walking a few feet behind Shinji and turned to look at him through the corner of his eye. There was no expression on his face, but genuine concern. "Whatever is troubling you, don't think too hard to find the answer for your troubles. Doing something that you enjoy and relaxing can free your frantic mind." Toji faced forward again and continued to walk. As he opened the door to exit he said one last thing. "I've shot basketball for years, and it hasn't failed me since. I just shoot and don't think about anything else. Then, then answer just comes to me like it's been there the whole time."

After the door shut behind Toji, Shinji watched the basket ball roll back and forth as it balanced on the imperfect floor. He finally got up from the bench and picked up the basketball from underneath the basket. The ball felt warm to Shinji's hands, which he found rather odd. Clearing his mind, he walked to the free throw line and bent his knees. He brought the ball up just over his eyes as he aimed to shoot. _Something I enjoy…_ He thought to himself about what Toji said to him before shooting and came to a conclusion. _I know what I'll do._ Shinji drew his arms up and threw them out while flicking his wrists. The ball soared through the air in a perfect arc, hit the backboard, and went in.

**- x -**

"What is troubling the pilot of Unit-01?"

Misato couldn't look into the commander's eyes as he jumped right into the questioning. She could tell that he wasn't in the least bit pleased about anything since he didn't even refer to Shinji by his name. She knew that her current behavior would only make him angrier though, and looked up to his face.

"I don't know the cause of Shinji's problem," she said steadily.

The commander was unmoving in his usual position at his desk with sub-commander Fuyutsuki standing at his side. The dark room had two single lights shining on the desk Commander Ikari sat at and in the center of the room where people were when he spoke with them. The light shining on the desk reflected off of his glasses, making his stern face the prominent image in the vast chamber.

"His decline in performance is unacceptable. If this continues, he will be removed," he said coldly.

Misato gasped silently at hearing her boss's words, knowing that he would live by them. "Then what will happen with Unit-01, sir? No one else can pilot it."

"That has yet to be seen," the commander hissed.

Misato squinted, wanting to continue the discussion in defense of Shinji, but knew that it would do him or her no good. She clenched her teeth and forced her submission to the stone cold man that sat before her.

"Understood, sir."

The commander's face remained perfectly still at hearing the major's ill attitude. He didn't even acknowledge her unprofessional tone when he continued to give her the terms of Shinji's termination.

"You have until the next sync-ratio test," he said. His voice was as low and demanding as possible. "If the pilot's ratio fails to recover, he will be finished."

Misato was now trembling with anger at her commander's cold heart. Even though she felt that the family bonds had no place in the professional world, she couldn't believe that they didn't exist between Shinji and Commander Ikari at all. She couldn't believe that he didn't care about his son at all. But most of all, she was angry that she could do nothing to protect the child from his father's wrath.

"I understand," she mumbled," sir."

"That is all," the grim man said. "You are dismissed."

Misato bowed as the light around her vanished. She quickly turned around and walked towards the exit. Her footsteps on the black marble floor echoed in the empty chamber, becoming quieter as she neared the door. When she was gone, the room fell silent.

After a long moment of deep thought, Sub-commander Fuyutsuki asked the commander what was going on in his mind. "How will we succeed without the pilot of Unit-01?"

The commander made no move to show he heard his right hand man and old friend, but answered him with his back towards him. "Unit-01 is all we need. The boy is useless."

"I see…" The older man's voice betrayed his true feelings. He didn't understand his superior was thinking. "Then why…"

"Because it would be more convenient," Ikari said, almost shouting. He didn't need to know what his colleague was going to ask to know what he was thinking. "If he fails to pilot, there is no longer any need for him. We will find another way."

"Right…" Fuyutsuki mumbled. "We…"

**- x -**

Asuka sat with her back slumped in her bed. She was holding a cup of tea that had long gone cold. She didn't know how long it had been, but since then it had become dark outside. The lights were off, leaving the only illumination to the blue emergency lights. The redhead continued to stare blankly at the liquid that pulsed with each beat of her heart. _Shinji…_ A tear dropped from her right eye and struck the cold liquid. A ripple spread, disrupting the calm pattern of her heart.

Asuka threw the cup against the door. The glass shattered upon striking the wooden board, raining the cold tea on the sterile ground. Asuka dropped her face into her hands and began to sob.

"Why did you leave me?" she mumbled over her tears. "Why, Shinji?"

_"Because you chased him away,"_ a girl said.

Asuka gasped, remembering what she experienced while in her coma. The shadows of those visions continued to haunt her. "Yes…" she admitted. "It's because of me, that I'm alone…"

Asuka wiped her face with her arm and sniffled. No one came to visit her ever since she woke up, bringing an unbearable amount of pain to her. Even though she always told herself that she was alone, it wasn't until now that she knew what that was really like. Now that she knew, she didn't want to be alone ever again. Her body ached from the contractions in her lungs and stomach from crying and coughing every waking hour the past week.

At first, the doctors thought that her dehydration and muscle injuries were part of some sort of remission, but Ritsuko cleared her to leave today regardless.

Asuka began to cry again, "What will you do with me, Shinji?" She wondered out loud as the time for her to go home neared. "What will you say to someone as horrible as me?"

_"He won't say anything,"_ the same girl said within her mind.

"… Shut up!" Asuka grabbed her head and shook violently to try to whisk away the voice.

_"Stop running,"_ the girl said.

"I said shut up!" Asuka shouted, desperation taking over. "Leave me alone!"

Asuka's worn mind and body had reached their limit. The exhausted girl fainted, sinking back into her subconscious world where the little girl waited. The image of the dark hospital room faded and was replaced by that of a forest. The forest was devoid of color and in it stood two people; Asuka and her past self. Asuka was again wearing her red plug suit, just as she did in her past hallucinations. They were standing in a small opening in the trees. A pale sun shined over them while a soft wind blew the grass below their feet. Asuka looked around, unaware of where she was.

"You don't remember, do you?" The little girl was holding the monkey doll, just like before. Her colors had become more vibrant, but were still faint when compared to Asuka herself.

"Remember what?" Asuka asked. She looked around the grey forest around her, but found nothing that stimulated her memory. _But if this exists in my mind… then I must have seen it in the past._

"This place," the girl said. She put out her hand and waved it at the forest around them. "Do you remember it?"

"I don't…" Asuka tried her best, but couldn't recognize the area at all. The place she found herself in was absent of anything extraordinary. Asuka didn't understand how such a simple place could have any special meaning to her. "This looks like any other forest."

"To many it is," her past self admitted. The girl nodded in agreement. "But to you, it is more than just another forest."

"What do you mean?" Asuka asked, still wondering what the forest meant to her childhood.

"This is where you came to cry."

The little girl's face became sad while Asuka's became shocked. Her jaw dropped open and her eyes grew wide. Her lungs reached capacity from the air she drew in when she gasped. As memories forced their way into her eyes and ears, Asuka began to remember. She remembered coming to this opening in the trees to cry the day her mom started talking to the doll. Then, once more, she came here when her mother died. That was when she hugged her monkey doll, a gift from her step mother. That was when she chose to abandon her dependence on others and the image of little Asuka crying while hugging the monkey doll was sealed in the far corner of her mind.

"I remember…" she mumbled, finally. The little girl's expression didn't waver as Asuka vocalized her thoughts as they came. "I remember coming to this place. This was where my mother would take me to pick flowers when I was little." Asuka's eyes began to glimmer as tears welled in their blue seas. "This is where I always felt safe…" she continued through her tears. "But after mother died, the place only brought me pain."

Asuka nearly broke down as she remembered the image of her mother hanging from the hospital room ceiling. She remembered running to this very place and crying. She was all alone then. Yes, that was when believed she was all alone.

"Do you understand, Asuka?" The girl asked.

"I want to!" she cried. Her tears forced their way through tightly shut eyes. She fell to her knees and curled into a fetal state, trying to hide from the sorrow that she remembered.

"Then you must realize the truth and come to terms with yourself."

"Terms with… myself?" Asuka stopped crying.

The pail sun around the two girls suddenly became brighter as a third voice echoed in the wind. "Asuka, it's time to wake up." It sounded like her late mother and seemed to calm both the girls. "Asuka, wake up." The voice called again.

Asuka gazed at the grey sky that was illuminated by the white sun. A tear trickled down her cheek, "Ma… mama?"

"Asuka," the voice repeated, becoming louder. The sun became brighter, forcing Asuka to avert her eyes. She shielded her face with her arms, refusing to turn away from the white light.

The light disappeared and the sun grew dark. The forest around the second child spun, being torn apart by a violent wind. The wind grew more chaotic. The ripping air howled in Asuka's ears as it seemed to lift her from the ground. She used her arms to keep her hair out of her face as the strange storm whipped around her. The grey forest formed a visible fog carried by the wind. When Asuka opened her eyes, she saw a tower of wind and fog reaching towards the dim circle of light above.

A little girl's voice was heard through the ripping winds. She was giggling and shouting joyously to her mother. The same voice overlapped the giggling with crying and a third with emotionless depression. Asuka's mind was reacting to the sound of her mother's voice. All of her memories from the forest were playing to the loved voice.

"Mama!" Asuka cried, trying to reach for the light through the tornado of memories. Her red plug suit vanished in to the wind and was replaced by a yellow sundress. At that moment in time, she no longer clung to her failure as an Eva pilot. She didn't know what was going on, but felt that her mother could save her. She knew that her mother would save her, somehow. "Mama!" she repeated.

"Asuka!" the voice cried back, becoming a little distressed and firm. Another voice seemed to call her as well. It sounded familiar, but Asuka couldn't make it out over her mother's. At hearing the other voice, the memories began to spin ever faster, becoming louder. While the winds had once seemed a collective before, they were now out of control. The tower of memories swayed and teetered on its base as the circle of light descended towards Asuka.

As it entered the mouth of the tower the memories spread around and tried to ensnare it. As the two voices again called for the girl in the yellow dress, the other woman's voice was now the louder of the two. The memories were repelled by this sound and screamed as they were thrown away from the once comforting light they sought. The structure of the tower buckled as the memories were torn by the light that reached for Asuka, and not the memories of the past.

Asuka got to her knees when she saw the tower of wind and memories begin to fall. She wrapped her right arm across her chest and shielded her heart as she reached for the light with her left. The ground beneath her began to shake as the winds were thrown against it. The light shined brightly once more as the other woman's voice became clear. It was Misato.

"Asuka!" Misato shouted, shaking the sleeping girl. She had come to take the girl home after work, but was unable to wake her up for nearly ten minutes. She was beginning to worry that her roommate had fallen into another coma.

Asuka trembled in the woman's arms and slowly opened her eyes. The red head moaned as she became conscious and turned to see who was calling for her. "M… Misato…?"

"Asuka…" Misato said, relieved that the youth had finally woken up. A tear hung in the corner of her eye as she leaned over the hospital bed with her hands resting on the girl's shoulders. After sniffing away her forthcoming tears she smiled, "let's go home."

Asuka smiled briefly, but frowned at hearing home being mentioned. She turned her head and looked out the window. Night had fallen on the geo front, leaving the room eerily dark. "Home…" she whispered to herself.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:2**

**- That Which Calms the Heart. -**

Sub-commander Fuyutsuki stood next to the empty commander seat in the command center. He was currently on night shift, waiting for an attack he didn't expect. _How foolish to sit here and wait for nothing._ The fairly old man thought to himself. As one of the inside men of NERV and SEELE, he knew that the last angel had attacked. SEELE's Dead Sea Scrolls foretold of seventeen angels and no more, yet here he was, commanding a full staff under secondary alert mode. _Ikari, what are you thinking?_

The former professor thought back to the meeting he and Ikari had just had with SEELE. As usual, they pressed the issue of time and the schedule of the Human Instrumentality Project. Unlike before, however, their voices were more pressing than before and even threatening. "You deserve death, Ikari!" That's what they said before leaving. _Could it be that the commander isn't preparing for another angel, but SEELE's actions?_ The grey haired man looked at the dead map of the city and sighed. _Of course he is… We have both Adam and Lilith. SELLE won't allow us to hold all the cards any longer._

Shigeru Aoba suddenly noted a flashing message on his data terminal and checked into it. The readout stated that an unknown energy signature was detected outside of the city, but registered an unidentified wave pattern. "Commander," he said. "An unidentified power signature has been detected in the eastern borders of Tokyo-3."

_What?_ The sub-commander thought to himself. He nearly fainted at hearing the report. _It can't be…_ "What's its wave pattern?" he ordered, afraid of the coming answer.

"Unknown," the data analyzer reported. "The Magi haven't been able to discern what the signature is."

Fuyutsuki continued through the standard deviance of methods they had at their command to identify the target. "What about visual contact?" he ordered.

Hyuga, the battle tactics analyzer, reported the physical status of the unknown target. "Negative. We haven't been able to establish visual contact with the target." He turned around in his chair to better address his superior officer. "Our scanners detect that the signature is slowly advancing towards the city, sir. However," he added, "it isn't taking a direct path. The target is quickly moving to random points, advancing an average of twenty feet with each jump. At this rate, the target will reach the city in three hours."

"Is the signature vanishing and appearing at these points?" The commander asked Aoba.

"Negative," the man with long brown hair said. "The scanners read clear, physical movement to each point, but the Magi is unable to analyze how the signature is able to move so quickly."

"Should we upgrade to first level alert?" the tactics officer asked.

"No," the sub-commander said. "We'll remain on secondary alert until we know for certain what the signature is." The commander lifted a phone from the command chair and dialed a short number. "This is Fuyutsuki," he answered. "I want the first and third children brought to headquarters and placed into Units 01 and 02. The fourth child should be put on standby."

The man stood with the phone to his ear as the person on the other end spoke. "Negative," he replied. "The second child is to be classified as a civilian."

After hanging up the phone he turned his attention to the main monitor and yelled into the vastly empty chamber. "I want all personnel to stand by for a possible first level alert! All personnel report to your battle stations! I want visual contact as soon as possible!"

The people below all ran to their terminals and put on headsets in order to be able to communicate with each other without having to yell. As the sub-commander watched them prepare for battle, he began to worry. _If another angel has appeared SEELE won't waste any more time. But there were only supposed to be 17... _He looked at the empty command chair through the corner of his eye and squinted. _They're through with giving us time._

**- x -**

Misato was silent as she drove home in the empty night streets. She thought that having Asuka back would be a happy occasion, but the air was grim at best. The girl sitting to her left was silent and hung her head so that her hair hid her blue eyes. The woman couldn't begin to imagine what was going through her roommate's head, but she knew it wasn't pleasant.

"He didn't visit me ever again," the girl with red hair said, remaining in her depressed position.

"Hmm?" Misato wanted to say something more, but could do nothing but mumble a question of clarification.

"Shinji…" Asuka paused after saying the boy's name and visibly shook. "After I woke up, he never came to see me again."

The older woman could see that Asuka was beginning to tear up and tried to find a way to sway her tears. "Ah, Shinji's been busy the past few days." She looked ahead for any cars as she turned onto another freeway leading to the northern end of the city towards the apartment. "I'm sure he wanted to visit you."

"You don't have to lie to me." Asuka nearly hissed contempt with her words. "I know why Shinji didn't visit me after I woke up!"

Misato was almost afraid to ask, but decided that Asuka needed to let out whatever was making her so sad. "And why didn't he visit you?" She spoke softly, trying to keep the mood as calm as possible.

"He hates me!" Asuka shouted the words, clearly hurt simply by saying them. "He didn't come to see me because he hates me!"

"Asuka?" Misato questioned her words. "Shinji doesn't hate you," she corrected. "He visited you every day while you were in your coma."

Asuka began to cry. When Misato reminded her of what Shinji did while she was asleep, all she could think about was what she did to him when she finally woke up. "When I woke up…" She spoke slowly, trying her best to speak through her rough tears. "I chased him away… and now he hates me!" She broke into tears again and bent down even lower, hiding her face by grabbing the top of her head with her hands and letting her arms drop over the sides of her face.

"Asuka…" Misato felt her younger roommate's pain. She shared her pain in a way. The woman with purple hair also chased away Shinji, but she didn't understand how. All she tried to do was make him forget his pain, but the more she tried the more he shut himself away. "Shinji… hasn't given up on you."

Asuka gasped, but continued to cry. Misato waited for a response, but continued when she got none. "He was hurt that day," she admitted. She remembered seeing him run out of Asuka's room with his arm over his eyes to hide his tears. He didn't even notice her as he ran down the hall without ever looking back. "He wouldn't have been hurt if he hated you."

The teenage girl began to recover from her crying and sniffed. "How can you be so sure?"

"It's just how Shinji is," the older woman answered quickly, prepared for the question. "I've watched him get hurt by his father for a long time. Every time he doesn't cry. He only gets angry."

"But he avoided me just like he avoids his father," the girl stated, still refusing to accept the facts that her guardian presented.

Misato grunted at how stubborn her passenger was. She looked out at the passing street lights through the corner of her eyes as she thought about what she could say to counter the statement. When she thought of what to say, she rolled her eyes around to look at Asuka through the other corner of her eyes. "Then maybe you need to take the initiative."

"What are you talking about?" Asuka asked. She was surprised by how forward her guardian was being with her.

"Look, you've spent the past month in a coma." Misato stopped briefly to make sure that Asuka was listening. After making another turn onto a local street she continued. "Shinji visited you every day in hopes you'd wake-up. When woke up you did something that upset him." She paused again when she heard Asuka sigh at hearing about whatever it was that happened when she woke up. "He didn't tell me what happened, but I can tell that it's really hurt him."

"I chased him away," Asuka said, more to herself than Misato.

"Well, if that's true then I'm right. It's up to you to seek Shinji out." Misato smiled at getting things a bit clearer for herself. "You can't expect Shinji to confront you if you've hurt him. He's not that kind of person." Misato could see Asuka nod in agreement. "You, on the other hand, aren't the type to apologize."

Asuka squinted and looked angry at the remark. Misato ignored the change in attitude. "But," she added, "You don't have any trouble taking the initiative no matter the situation."

Asuka bent her head over and leaned it against the window in thought. Her eyes became empty as she drifted into her thoughts and no longer appeared awake. This continued until they got to their apartment.

Misato pulled into a parking spot slowly and brought the car to a halt. She sat in the silent vehicle for a moment before removing her seat belt and opening the door. As she stepped out, Asuka finally replied.

"I guess you're right," she said.

"Huh?" Misato asked the one word question for Asuka to explain.

"I'll talk to Shinji," the younger girl declared.

"I'm glad to hear you say that." Misato smiled as she watched Asuka get out of the car and shut the door. "Welcome home, Asuka." Misato turned around and looked up towards the balcony of their apartment. Her eyes went a little wide. "Hmm… that's strange. The lights are all off."

"Maybe he's asleep," Asuka said, sounding a little relieved at the possibility of not having to confront her roommate just yet.

"I don't think so…" Misato drifted off as she tried to think of where their male roommate could be. "It's too early to be sleeping. And I thought he'd be awake for your return home."

A siren suddenly rang in the distance, loud and clear from where the two stood. It was a siren that Misato thought that she'd never have to hear ever again. It was the siren warning of an angel attack. "An angel?" Misato's draw remained open as she stared towards the center of the city. "That can't be…"

**- x -**

"Visual contact has been confirmed!" Hyuga shouted.

"Put it on the main monitor," Fuyutsuki ordered.

The giant screen that took up the entire front wall of the command center blinked before showing a video feed from a spy camera aboard a UN craft. It was hard to spot the target in the darkness of night, but one of its size couldn't hide from human eyes.

The target wasn't as big as an Eva, but still considerably large. The Magi estimated that the target was two hundred feet long in its current position. It almost looked humanoid, but seemed to lack the appropriate spinal structure to stand on its hind legs.

It was currently standing still, hunched on all fours. It looked ready to pounce at a prey it was hunting. The creature was black and looked like a cross between a lizard and a man. Small spines protruded its back along its back. Its neck was fairly long, and hung down from its massive shoulders. The head was long with a flat carapace over its forehead. If it had eyes, they could not be seen on the video feed. Its legs were long for the size of its body, with its front legs being nearly twice as long as it's torso. Just above its waist, a long tail outstretched behind the beast. The tail was thin, but looked very agile as it lay on the ground.

There was a collective gasp as everyone saw the beast lying in the forested hill just outside of the city. Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki recovered quickly and demanded control. "What's the status of the target?"

Hyuga took a moment to scroll through several different readouts before answering. Fuyutsuki stood with his arms crossed behind his back quietly as the young man continued to work. "The target reached this location at 2010 hours. Since then, it has become completely silent."

"Has an AT-Field been detected?" The sub-commander didn't sound too interested in the information he was just given as he moved onward.

Aoba filled that part of the identification procedure. "Negative, no abnormal energy signals have been detected."

Fuyutsuki nodded from high above and squinted as he begun to plan their course of action. "What's the status of the Evas?"

"Both Shinji and Toji have been inserted into Units 01 and 02," Maya reported. "Unit-02 is ready to launch."

"Belay that," the man in charge said.

"Sir?" Maya asked. She didn't know what the more human of the two heads of NERV could be thinking.

"I won't risk another disaster with Unit-02." Fuyutsuki explained. "I want Unit-01 taken out of cryo-stasis. Launch and position it In the Eastern quadrant of Tokyo-3. Keep Rei and Unit-02 on standby. We'll activate if needed."

"Roger," Maya obeyed half heartedly.

Unit-01 was launched from the third cage. Shinji sat in the shaking entry plug as the giant of flesh and metal ascended towards the surface. The emergency combat situation interrupted the activity he had decided on to clear his mind, just as his friend suggested. Despite being thrown into combat, he felt unusually at ease.

_Here I am again…_ He thought as the massive robot shot through the layers of armor protecting the geo front at blistering speeds. _Again, I pilot Unit-01… _He twitched slightly at remembering the last battle he fought in Unit-01. His enemy was in human form, Kaworu Nagisa, whom said he loved him. Remembering the tormenting battle brought a flurry of emotions to Shinji's mind. He felt an emptiness at the loss of Kaworu and a depression that he was the one that lived that day, but most of all, he felt a saturated anger towards his enemies.

Shinji's attention was forcibly brought together as the launch pad came to a violent halt on the surface. Shinji focused on the main monitor in the cockpit, but couldn't see much in the dark landscape ahead.

Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki's voice came over the comm. "Shinji, do you see the target?"

"No, I can't see anything," the boy replied. He strained his eyes as he tried harder to see anything in the shadows.

"You should be able to locate the target just outside of the city," the sub-commander said. "It's currently silent on the west side of a hill facing the eastern quadrant."

Shinji moved his Eva and shifted his viewing angle to search the mentioned hill. The hill was much larger than what most people considered a hill, but by measuring standards was not high enough be a mountain. Shinji knew the hill well. He could see the snaking path and the tunnel Misato drove him through towards home from NERV HQ as he continued to search for the target.

He stopped moving when he saw a lizard-like form resting on the hill. It was black, which made it hard to see even if you were looking directly at it. The form vaguely resembled Unit-03 after being possessed by Bardiel, but was considerably smaller and had a long tail attached to its back.

"I've located the target," Shinji reported. He paused momentarily to watch the silent creature before making his next move. "Moving into attack position," he said, setting Unit-01 into motion.

"Be careful," the sub-commander pressed. "The target moves faster than anything we've come across before."

Shinji didn't reply, but Fuyutsuki knew that the boy heard him and would listen. He watched as the image on the screen moved to show Unit-01 in the lower left corner and the unknown target near the top right. _What will this mean for mankind?_

Unit-01 ran behind some tall buildings and pressed its back against one. It snaked its head around the corner to peek at the slumbering target not too far away. _I'm only eight hundred meters away from the target. It must have detected me by now…_ Shinji's left hand began to tighten into a fist and release in a steady rhythm as he thought about why the target was so still. _Better not activate my AT-Field just yet._

The horned Eva ran further down the street and stopped by a metal structure. Shinji released a lock and the structure's southern wall lifted to reveal an assault rifle. Shinji took the rifle into Unit-01's hands and again hid behind a building. "I'm in position," he said finally.

"Roger," the sub-commander acknowledged. "The target has shown no signs of detection. The Magi have concluded two-to-one that engaging the target before it acts is the best course of action. "Spread your AT-Field and engage!"

"Roger," Shinji shouted with enthusiasm. He moved back north to his original attack position and moved so that he had an open path towards the target. "Spreading AT-Field," he announced quietly to HQ.

The image on his main monitor became distorted like water being struck with a stone as he activated his AT-Field. When clarity was restored, he lost sight of the target," What the hell!"

The image on the main monitor wavered as Unit-01 activated it's AT-Field. What happened next went by in an instant. A black blur flew off of the screen followed by static.

"We've lost visual contact with the target!" Hyuga yelled. "The target has appeared just above Unit-01!"

"Shinji!" Fuyutsuki yelled over the buzz of activity. "Take evasive action!"

Shinji shot his head up and saw the beast flying towards him. With a quick motion he sent Unit-01 into a sideways roll and avoided being crushed. He spun the Eva round to face the beast. He was unable to get up before it attacked.

The black monster lowered its shoulders and raised its head. The mouth opened to reveal a white light deep within its throat. "Damn!" Shinji shouted, pulling back his right control stick to bring Unit-01's arm up over its face. He kept his left hand planted against the ground so that his arm propped him up. He was barely able to make the action in time and his main monitor again became a blur as his AT-Field spread to repel the attack. He gasped as the light dimmed and a pulsing wave shot through his monitor image as his AT-Field began to push against another. The image soon became clear again, revealing orange rings around the newly revealed Angel.

"AT-Field detected!" the tactical officer yelled. "Its pattern is blue! It's an angel!"

"Damn it!" was all that Fuyutsuki could say. _So it's true… SEELE was wrong. _He was unable to comprehend what was happening. "Alert all personnel and move to first level alert. I want a report sent to SEELE immediately." Fuyutsuki looked at the flashing letters that formed the words '18th Angel' and sighed. _What will happen to us now?_

Shinji kept Unit-01's arm up as the two AT-Fields continued to struggle against each other. He saw the orange rings around the angel vanish as the attack recharged and fired at him. Shinji tensed all the muscles in his body as he fought to keep the Eva still in the inferno of the angelic cross beam. The blaze of purple light nearly blinded him and began to heat the LCL within the entry plug. Beyond the veil of light, Shinji could see nothing as his ears were flooded with the sound of breaking stone.

As he felt the rumbling subside, he threw his Eva's arm away from his face and pushed himself to his feet. He detected that the angel's AT-Field was down and opened fire with his assault rifle.

The angel vanished just it had before, causing all of his shots to miss and explode against the buildings surrounding them. "Where did it go now?" Shinji shouted to himself, starting to feel frustrated.

Shinji moved his eyes each corner of his eyes, frantically searching for the elusive angel. Through the sensitive sound monitors of the Eva he heard some rubble falling onto the ground behind him. With a gasp he spun Unit-01 around and opened fire, hoping to catch the angel off guard.

Orange rings illuminated the night sky as the AT-Field surrounded the angel and absorbed the shots. Shinji halted his fire and spread his field. A low hum echoed in his ears as the field spread and began to neutralize the angel's. Shinji opened fire again, sending the giant bullets through the weakened walls of invisible energy.

The angel pressed itself against the ground as low as it could. It dodged under the projectiles and slithered forward. Unit-01 lowered its rifle and fired another spray of bullets, forcing the angel to leap into the air. Shinji trailed the angel with his rifle, but continued to miss. The angel landed on the wall of a building and hissed. Shinji fired a quick burst, but hit nothing but the wall of metal and glass. He kept his eyes on the scanner, following the angel as best he could. Every time he saw it he twitched the trigger to let loose a small burst of bullets, but never connected as the angel continued to spring from building to building.

Shinji became more frantic with each missing round he fired and nearly lost control when the angel leapt towards him. He tilted back and raised the rifle to fire upwards at the blindingly fast approaching angel, but still missed. The angel flipped over in its aerial approach and landed by kicking both of its feet against Unit-01's chest. Unit one fell back from the impact, but remained standing. The Angel held onto the Eva's left chest plate and right arm with its feet as it brought its small hands around its neck to try to strangle the considerably larger Eva.

Shinji could feel his neck begin to tighten under the angel's icy grip and threw his left stick forward and back, bringing his Eva's left fist punching into the angel's side over and over again. The angel flinched with each punch, but kept its iron grip on the Eva's neck despite Shinji's greatest efforts. Deciding his current action would do no good, he snaked the Eva's arm over the angel between its arms and dropped its elbow on its shoulder.

The angel shrieked as the hard edge pressed into its shoulder joint. Cracking sounds could be heard as Shinji pressed harder until the angel finally surrendered its grip and jumped off of him. Shinji fired his freed rifle at the angel as it landed on the ground, but hit nothing but the empty street.

"Damn you!" Shinji cursed, dropping his rifle to the ground. His left shoulder wing opened to reveal his progressive knife. Unit-01 removed the knife and extended its vibrating blade. "I'll destroy you!" he cried. Shinji felt himself overcome with anger towards the angel. The angels caused everything. They caused everything that made his life what it was. They ruined his life.

"Shinji, what are you doing!" The sub-commander tried to get the boy's attention. "Hand-to-hand combat isn't advised against a target that so much faster than the Evas! Retrieve your rifle!"

Shinji ignored the older man's call, if he heard it at all. Maya moved her hands over her command board as a beeping began to sound from her screen. "Shinji's sync ratio is increasing rapidly! It's nearing 70%!"

"What?" Fuyutsuki had a wide-eyed look on his face. _His sync ratio is increasing just as quickly as it dropped… But why? _He had no time to ponder the emotional state of the pilot as the battle continued. The more complex intricacies of Unit-01 and its pilot would have to wait.

The angel landed behind Unit-01 and reactivated it's AT-Field. The ground shook as the invisible wall charged towards the barely aware Eva. Rubble was kicked into the air while cars and signs were thrown into the crumbling walls of buildings as the AT-Field tore through the empty streets.

Shinji's scanners detected the field, warning the pilot. He spread his own further, still keeping his back towards the enemy. As the fields collided, Shinji turned Unit-01 to face his enemy, knife in hand. "I will destroy my enemies," he said to himself. He threw both of his control sticks forward, sending Unit-01 charging forward, it's AT-Field's orange rings rippling rapidly as it pushed the angel's back. His field began to crack and send off bolts of energy as it reached its limit. Shinji pressed on, seeing the same thing happening to the angel's AT-Field.

The angel reacted to the losing battle by dropping its field and throwing its long arms outward. Although only half the Eva's size, the angel was strong enough to hold the Eva back.

Unit-01 stood with both its arms in the air holding the progressive knife. The blade was angled downward towards the angel's neck. The angel's clawed hands grasped his wrists and pushed against them. Shinji continued to push his Eva harder, letting his aggression fuel him. He set his AT-Field to maximum power in an effort to crush the angel into the ground and shatter its arms with the indescribable force of the energy wall.

The angel was too fast for the maneuver to work, however. Before Shinji even entered the command, it kicked off of the ground with its legs and arched its back to land them on Unit-01's shoulders while its arms continued to hold onto the Eva's. As the AT-Field began to materialize, the angel released its hold on the Eva's arms, whipping them around, and leapt off of the tumbling beast.

Shinji grunted as his Eva fell to the ground from the force of the angel leaping off of it. His AT-Field tore into the concrete of the street and caused his entry plug to shake violently. As he lowered his AT-Field and the shaking stopped, Shinji looked behind to the vaulting angel. _Damn… it's too fast!_ He thought to himself. He then saw a red orb just over the belly of the beast. "It'll be hard to hit it the way it stands…" he said to himself, trying to think of a way to coax the angel into giving him an opening.

"Shinji, is everything alright?" Fuyutsuki asked over the sound monitor.

Shinji thought about his answer half heartedly as he continued to watch the crawling beast. "… The target is too fast!" he shouted irrationally.

"Calm down," the other man ordered firmly.

"What am I supposed to do?" Shinji asked. His voice was just as distressed as before.

"Calm down," Fuyutsuki repeated. "The target is fast, but nothing out of the ordinary," he explained. "Although it spears that the target is disappearing, it's still moving through physical space."

Shinji hissed at the unhelpful information before replying. "And how does this help me fight?"

"Think before you act," the man said calmly. "You have to think ahead and predict where the target will move."

_"Don't think too hard to find the answer to your troubles." _Shinji recalled what his friend and fellow pilot told him to do in times of distress. _"Doing something you enjoy can free your frantic mind… Then, the answer comes to me like it's been there the whole time."_

Shinji could do much within the cockpit, but managed to relax as he saw the target leave the ground and appear on the side of a building to his left. As he watched the target continue to move he concentrated on the beating of his heart. The rhythm was steady and clear, in tune to a song he began to hum.

"What is he doing?" Fuyutsuki asked as the silence and stillness of Unit-01 continued for nearly a minute.

"I… don't know," Hyuga said.

Aoba and Maya sifted through their readouts to report the status of Unit-01 and the pilot respectively. "Unti-01 has gone nearly completely silent," Aoba reported.

"What about the pilot?" the commander asked.

"There are no abnormalities with the pilot," Maya reported. "His sync ratio is holding steady at 86%."

"Shinji," Fuyutsuki called out. "Shinji, are you there?" Through the video feed from Unit-01 the landscape view of Tokyo-3 remained perfectly still. The angel continued to appear from building to building, its plan unknown. "Shinji!" Fuyutsuki shouted.

"There's no response," Aoba stated the obvious.

"Is the channel open?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Affirmative," Hyuga replied. "Both ends of the transmission are open.

"Sub-commander Fuyutsuki squinted and mumbled. The stillness on screen was beginning to worry him. "What's the status of the target?"

"The target is continuing to move from location to location." Hyuga brought up a small map inset of the video feed from Unit-01 showing red dots where the angel had moved. More dots were appearing every few seconds. "The Magi are unable to discern any sort of pattern."

Aoba read his scanners after the tactical report and gave the vital status of the target. "The target's AT-Field is barely readable. At its current activity, a rifle or handgun could pierce through it."

"Shinji," did you hear that?" Again, there was no answer. Fuyutsuki sighed, "Prepare Rei and Unit-02 for launch…"

"Roger," Maya reported through the ominous silence.

Shinji continued to sit still in his chair as he hummed his tune to himself. He watched the angel move from spot to spot around him without concern. His left hand was now twitching into a fist and relaxing in sync with his heart beat. He closed his eyes momentarily to take in the tune he was humming and took a deep breath. The breath came in like a cool breeze and brought his body to a fully relaxed state. Exhaling, he opened his eyes slowly.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he saw the angel fly through the air. He widened his eyes a bit at seeing the black lizard-like monster soar at a speed he could actually follow, or was he doing something to allow him to see it move. It didn't matter, because he saw what he had to do. Surrounding the target, he could see a faint cloud of dirt and rubble.

Shinji's left hand snapped back into a fist, tighter than before and he stopped humming. Pulling the control sticks into his hands and pushing them forward, he sprang into action. Without reporting his plan or reporting in, he requested what he needed. "Open weapons bay E-17," he said.

As a building to Unit-01's right opened its metal wall to reveal a cache of weapons, Shinji sent his Eva into a roll. He grabbed his discarded rifle as he came out of the roll and opened fire at the ground. The angel remained still on a building as the bullets harmlessly tore up its surroundings and never threatened it. A growing cloud of dirt now engulfed the area surrounding the target.

"Shinji, what are you doing? You're only hiding the target!" Fuyutsuki yelled through the communications system as Shinji dropped his depleted rifle and lifted two more from the open weapons bay. He opened fire with them as well, causing the ground to spit more dirt and debris into the growing cloud. It now filled the entire eastern quadrant of Tokyo-3.

Unit-01 dropped the two rifles and retrieved a handgun from the cache. It hit a button, causing the bay to close and moved forward through the cloud it had created. Shinji took a moment to relax and concentrated on his heart beat again. _One shot…_ he thought to himself.

He didn't bother with the aiming system and lifted the gun in Unit-01's hand. He didn't plan on killing the angel just yet. Taking aim, he pulled the trigger and sent a burning bullet through the cloud. Its trail could be seen visibly through the brown mist. A familiar plink and cracking sound was heard as the bullet met and broke through the Angel's AT-Field. The cloud of dirt was thrown outward as the field spread momentarily and Shinji smiled. He gasped as the cloud moved again, spitting outward as the Angel leapt into the air. _One shot is all it'll take…_

Aoba's voice could be heard just barely as Shinji brought the Eva's right arm around its back and aimed into the sky just as the cloud spread to release the angel, "The target's AT-Field is increasing!"

Shinji didn't let this bother him and pulled the trigger as the cloud closed to swallow the empty space. Everything was moving so quickly, but it seemed like an eternity to the young, but experienced pilot. His Eva was crouched with its left arm spread out at his side to balance it. He could just barely see the trail of debris through the corner of his viewing monitor as he turned the Eva's head as far as it would go, but refused to turn completely, thinking it would alarm the angel and cause it to change course somehow. The Angel moved too fast for his eyes to follow, but the trail of dirt and debris betrayed its location in the sky as it moved. His shot was aimed quite a distance ahead of the trail of dirt in the sky, predicting its point of contact. It was a technique of such a level of skill any hunter would be proud of.

As the bullet tore through the empty sky it created a blazing trail of light. The line of fire flew into a black blur followed by a brief ring of orange that shattered in an instant with a loud explosion that shook the entire city. The blur solidified into the image of the angel, coming to a sudden halt in its flight through the air. The Angel howled in the night sky as its S2 Organ was punctured with the burning metal bullet. It hung in the air for a brief moment as its organ stopped glowing and then fell to the ground. The dirt cloud spread as the angel hit the ground and slowly moved to cover it again.

Evangelion Unit-01 crouched in the spreading covering of dirt with its back towards the fallen angel. After firing the gun, it hadn't moved an inch from its current position. Shinji was that sure of his victory, although he didn't quite know why. He had never been so confidant in his life. After a minute of complete stillness, Aoba's voice reported that the target was completely silent.

Everyone worked in silence in the minutes that followed the 18th angel's defeat. The usual procedures of securing the area around the place of battle and returning the Evangelion to the cage went without a word beyond procedure spoken. No one was prepared for the battle. Of course, they were never ready when the angels attacked, but this time was different. As far as they knew, an 18th angel shouldn't have existed.

Sub-commander Fuyutsuki watched everything with empty eyes. Now he didn't know what Ikari _or_ SEELE would do. If the angels continued to attack, would SEELE initiate humanity's instrumentality? _Nothing is going according to plan… _Fuyutsuki had a worried look on his face as he tried to predict what SEELE would say in the inevitable meeting tomorrow.

"Commander," a voice called from below.

Fuyutsuki walked forward to see who was calling and saw Maya waving at him. "What is it, Ibuki?" he asked.

"Eva Unit-01 has returned to the third cage," she said. "The pilot has been cleared to leave."

"Send him home…" he answered the unsaid question she asked. "Have Section 2 escort him to the fourth shelter. Major Katsuragi can take it from there."

"Roger," Maya replied.

As the woman turned around and picked up a phone Fuyutsuki turned around and sighed. It hadn't been a long day, but his body felt like it hadn't rested in a week. He walked over to the commander's chair and sat down to think through what he had to do. He began to rub his temples as he imagined all the forms he'd have to fill out for damage estimates, equipment usage funds, civilian relocation in the area the fallen angel was quarantined for at least a week… He would be in his office for quite a while.

Deciding to relax until his workers finished preparing the needed forms Fuyutsuki left the command center and made his way to his office. He had a lot on his mind and didn't need the trivial matters of basic procedure to add to the load.

**- x -**

Several hours passed before the people in shelter four were cleared to leave and return home. NERV officers asked that any people who lived in a circled area of the eastern quadrant report to them for temporary relocation, but since Misato and her two roommates lived in the northern quadrant, they left immediately.

It was unusual for them to be in a civilian shelter. Misato could have used her NERV ID to clear Asuka and herself into HQ, but decided that the shelter was as safe a bet during the battle and didn't really want to go back at all to start.

So, when the alarm went off, Misato took Asuka to the fourth shelter in the geo front and waited like everyone else, knowing nothing about the battle above. When Shinji appeared in the newly lit shelter, she smiled, knowing that the battle had been won. Much to her surprise, Shinji smiled back when he saw them. His smile was cheerful to Misato, but changed to one of uncertainty and sincerity when he turned to Asuka.

The red head gave a faint smile back, but her eyes carried an empty stare. Misato wanted to lighten the mood, but felt that there was nothing that she could do. The past month left her out of the lives of the two who now seemed at ends with each other, so she wasn't the most likely of mediators for the problem. She just stood looking back and forth at the two youths as they stared at each other with their heads tilted downward.

After most of the people had left the shelter save for those who were being issued relocation papers, Misato cleared her throat. "We should get going."

As Misato turned to walk Shinji finally spoke. "I'm glad you're alright Asuka," he said. Misato didn't turn around, but looked back at the girl through the corner of her eye.

Asuka visibly flinched at Shinji's words. A gasp could barely be heard as the girl lowered her head even more, unwilling to look the boy in the eye. Her shoulders were slumped, barely moving through her shallow breaths. Her eyes couldn't be seen under the shadow cast by her bangs of auburn hair. Her mouth was pinched together, straining to hold back whatever response she had instinctually thought of.

What seemed like an eternity passed between the two children that potentially carried the fate of the world on their shoulders. Shinji decided to clear the air one way or another. "You don't have to say anything," he assured her. "I know… you don't need my help." He later added, "You don't need me."

Misato was shocked at how sure the boy was when he spoke. His voice didn't waver with uncertainty and carried with it a tone of pure sorrow. She gave him a sympathetic smile when she noticed his right arm trembling, its hand twitching into a fist like it always did when he felt nervous.

A tear escaped Asuka's unreadable face as the magnitude of Shinji's words was felt in her heart. Her shoulders were now trembling, and whimpers could be heard every time she inhaled. Misato found it almost impossible to keep from interrupting. She had never seen two people like this before. Asuka was a complete wreck and it seemed that Shinji had accepting some sort of horrible defeat. It sounded like he was giving up.

Misato wanted to help, but knew that her interjection would only make matters worse. Whatever it was that they were going through, she would wait until they came to her before saying anything.

Despite what Shinji may have felt inside or said, he walked over to Asuka and wiped away the tear on her right cheek with his left hand. Asuka flinched at his touch, but soon leaned into it and put her right hand over his as it stroked her cheek. A sniffle escaped her nose as she shook her head to rub her cold cheek in his warm hand.

Shinji tensed at the girl's action and pulled his hand back in a reflexive manner. He stepped back, visibly shaken by what had just happened. He looked surprised, scared, and even hopeful, but soon lost all those impressions as he took a deep breath. After exhaling he said, "I'm sorry." His voice wasn't his usual cowardly tone. It was a genuine apology rather than his attempt to run away from Asuka's wrath.

"Let's go home," she replied quickly. It looked like Asuka wanted to say something else entirely. Her face looked sad, and it became evident that she wanted to cry. Misato could see she wanted nothing more than to go home to her room and cry and knew that the girl would never allow herself to be seen crying by Shinji. At first she thought it was her general pride that caused her to be that way, but slowly began to think otherwise. Now there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Asuka didn't want Shinji to look down on her. Asuka wanted to be strong in front of Shinji for whatever reason.

Misato blinked a few times to clear her mind of the train of thoughts and returned to the task at hand. "Right," she said, dismissing her developing revelation. "It's getting late and we haven't eaten dinner yet."

Night was nearing its end by the time the trio had reached their apartment. The sun couldn't be seen just yet, but the sky in the distant east was turning a brighter shade of blue already. Much like the car ride they just had experienced, the three walked through the halls and stairs in complete silence. It hurt Misato to see her two roommates like this. It had been over a month since they all were home together, and this is what their first night was like. Gloom had completely taken the two teenagers.

As they entered their apartment Misato stretched and smelled the air. She always liked to do that when she got home. It let her know she was home and could finally relax, for the most part anyway. This time, she smelled something in the air. It was a spicy, almost sweet, smell so faint it only reached her senses because she breathed in so deeply. It was the scent of food that had gone cold. The woman let out a humming question and planted her hands on her hips as she looked towards the kitchen. Pen-Pen was already asleep, and it was silly to think that the penguin could cook in the first place. She was just wondering what Shinji had been making that smelled so good even after going cold.

Shinji walked past her and answered for the smell. "Sorry about the smell," he said. He removed his shoes before walking too far and turned left into the kitchen without turning on any lights. He returned with a plate of food. It looked to be some sort of beef dish. The pieces of beef were cut into large slices and were completely doused in a reddish sauce that formed a pool at the bottom of the plate. Sliced hot peppers could be seen in the sauce as well as their seeds, which were the secret to their spicy bite. Chinese broccoli leaves were mixed with the beef to give it a balance of flavor and color that caught the eye. Misato had never seen Shinji make something so elaborate before.

"Shinji…" she started, but was unable to finish.

"I wanted to make something special for your first day back," he said before she could finish. He sounded eager, like he wanted to rush through the conversation.

Asuka let her breath out and stared at the plate with her jaw slightly open. She soon smiled and nodded at the boy presenting to her the dish of food. "Thank you," she said, taking the plate from him. She walked past him to the table and set the plate down. After retrieving three plates and sets of chopsticks, she took a seat and began to eat. "Come sit with me, Shinji." She said as she began to put some food on a plate for him.

Shinji walked over to the table without saying a word and took his usual seat between the two heads of the table. Asuka handed him the plate of cold food and he accepted it with a smile.

As the two began to eat in silence Misato walked over and joined them. She wasn't perfectly happy, but content with what had just happened. _It's not perfect… but at least they're not fighting._ She thought. She took a bite of the cold food and savored the flavor in her mouth, moving it around with her tongue to try to memorize it. _This tastes great._

After everyone had had a few bites, Shinji said, "I can heat up the food in the microwave." He began to get up from his seat without waiting for an answer when Asuka stopped him.

"Shah," she said, putting her hand out to pull him down. She couldn't reach his arm from where she was, but the movement was enough to stop the boy and return him to his seat. He looked dumbfounded at the girl as she took another bite without looking up. "Don't say anything," she said. Her voice wasn't angry or sad. Instead, it sounded pleading. "Just sit and eat with me."

Shinji gasped a questioning 'huh,' but wasn't answered by his roommate as she continued to eat the cold food. He sat watching her eat contently, still unable to understand what had just happened. Choosing to worry about it later, he returned to eating.

Misato sighed as she watched her two roommates and legal dependants eat in the unlit room. They didn't speak to each other, but didn't fight either. Neither was angry or sad with the other. She smiled and lifted her chopsticks to continue to eat. Life was slowly, but finally, returning back to normal.

**To be continued…**

I hope you liked the second chapter of my little ongoing fan fiction. As the author, I'm pretty unsure about the whole thing, even after reading it over four times and making changes or corrections. As usual, all reviews are appreciated. If you have anything really big to talk about regarding the way the fic is going, but don't want to say it in a review, you can e-mail me at .

Updated 4/19/2011: Reformatted for easier reading and clarified some details and past events for better understanding.


	3. 1:3 Familiar Times

"This was not supposed to happen," the voice of SEELE-01 echoed in the enormous meeting chamber. "The possibility of an 18th Angel was not considered."

"This changes everything," SEELE-08 said, much calmer than the other voice. "We cannot move forward with instrumentality while angels still exist."

An image appeared on the floor in the center of the ring of monoliths. The image depicted a black creature that looked like a cross between a human and a lizard classified as the 18th Angel. "Those twisted forms of God's children…" SEELE-02 commented. "How many more exist to seize the future from our hands?"

"No more can exist!" SEELE-01 shouted. "God created and named seventeen angels; seventeen alternatives to the human race. An eighteenth is impossible."

"Impossible…" SEELE-05 repeated. A long silence fell on the chamber as the monoliths all thought of the last word spoken. SEELE-05 continued his thoughts. "Is anything impossible for God?"

"Do not start with religious ethics and theories," SEELE-01 replied. "Our Dead Sea Scrolls are the words of God."

"True, but they are only an interpretation," SEELE-02 pointed out. "We knew from the start that we could not predict God's plan perfectly."

"A mistake like this is unacceptable," SEELE-01 said, becoming even angrier than before.

"Too many mistakes have already been made," SEELE-03 said. "The use of the lance," he gave for example.

"Evangelion Unit-01's creation of an S2 organ," SEELE-04 added. "Becoming a god…"

"A god made with human hands…" SEELE-07 solemnly spoke. "What blasphemy…"

"Perhaps this new angel is our punishment," SEELE-09 began to wonder. "God is pushing our fate back. He's delaying our return to paradise."

"Punishment for our sins," SEELE-02 stated. "For our mistakes," he rephrased.

"There was no mistake," a man said from the center of the chamber. The image of the eighteenth angel vanished and a light replaced it to reveal Gendo Ikari, whom was noticeably standing instead of his usual position behind a desk.

"Ikari!" SEELE-01 hissed at the interruption. "You were not invited to this meeting!"

The commander smiled at SEELE-01's verbal attack and readjusted his glasses. "I have information that might interest you."

"What could you know that would interest us?" SEELE-03 asked, obviously doubting Ikari's words.

"I know how to calm your fears," he said plainly, smiling with intention.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:3**

**- Familiar Times -**

**By: OmegaGear**

Rei awoke to the familiar noises of construction as the sun had just barely begun to rise on Tokyo-3. It had been two weeks since the defeat of the 18th angel and Rei, including thousands of other citizens, had returned to living in the eastern quadrant of Tokyo-3.

Rei blinked away her lingering slumber as the usual sounds of morning settled in. After nearly four years, she had become accustomed to them. Rolling out of bed, she began to prepare for her first day back at school since the summer break. It was her first day in the tenth grade. It was more than that, however. Today, she would see the one she called Shinji Ikari for the first time in nearly two months.

Thinking about confronting Shinji brought an awkward feeling to Rei. As she began to remove her clothing her mind felt uncertain while her body began to feel weak. When she entered the bathroom she faced the mirror and rubbed her face to subdue her developing headache and found that she had become slightly flushed.

She gasped and her hand slowly drifted down her cheek, leaving an ice cold trail through the warmth of her blushing cheek. _Ikari…_

Rei stared into her bathroom mirror studying her body as she dove into her mind, searching for answers to her current state. The memory of Shinji smiling at her with tears in his eyes after defeating the fifth angel flashed in her mind, but only brought confusion.

"I have memories that are not mine…" she said, speaking towards the mirror. She found herself doing that a lot lately, peering into the mirror like it served as a way to delve into the mind of her past incarnations. "These feelings… are they mine? Or are they to unfamiliar memories? I don't understand."

She turned and entered the shower, washing away her confusion along with the suds of shampoo in her pale hair. As she dressed in her school uniform she heated some instant ramen noodles for breakfast. As she ate she returned to her aimless journey through the tangled web of her mind. She was so drowned in her thoughts that she was barely able to consciously eat her food.

When she finished she threw the empty carton into the trash and left her apartment. As she began her lonely walk to school she could think of nothing but the boy who made her feel emotions she had never felt before.

**- x -**

Asuka smiled with her eyes shut as she ate the breakfast that Shinji had made for her while she was showering. While she hadn't fully recovered from her mental trauma or terms with her roommate, she felt that today was a chance to get back into routine. After two weeks of awkward days with the boy who tried his best to avoid her and restless nights fighting off her visions involving her past self, she was glad to be able to go back to school and do something different for a change.

Shinji noticed Asuka's unusually cheery mood and couldn't help but wonder. "Um…" he mumbled after swallowing a bite of toast. His head was tilted down towards the table as he tentatively moved his eyes up to the girl sitting across from him.

"Hmm?" Asuka opened her eyes and looked at Shinji with her toast hanging out of her mouth. "What is it?" she asked.

"You're looking quite happy this morning," he replied. He closed his eyes and smiled innocently, trying to hide his apprehension at saying anything to her. He didn't want to provoke her.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said, just as cheery as the smile she wore on her face. She took another bite of her toast as Shinji watched and put the rest on her plate. "Your cooking just… tastes so good in the morning!" she said, laughing lightly as she took another bite.

Shinji could feel himself begin to sweat. Hearing her comment anything about him nearly made him choke on air alone. Needless to say, the toast he was chewing felt like sandpaper as it became jammed in his wind pipe.

As Shinji began to gasp and cough Asuka shot her eyes open and took a good look at him from across the table. "Shinji?" she asked, holding her toast to her lips as she waited for an answer. Shinji didn't reply and dropped his toast on the table as he brought his right hand to his throat and began to make louder choking noises. "Shinji!" Asuka bolted from her chair, sending it tumbling to the ground. She quickly ran over to the choking boy and lifted him from his seat by wrapping her arms around his waist in a bear hug from behind.

Shinji shook his head as the girl lifted him from behind and became tense at her touch. Since a mere comment was enough to make him choke, her touch sent him into a frenzy of uncontrollable activity. Her arms were firm, but gentle around his sides with her hands crossed over his upper torso, just below his ribs. While not particularly stimulating, having his butt firmly planted against her groin was. He didn't know if it was his flushing feeling or the lack of oxygen that caused him to turn pink, but assumed it was both. He put his hands over hers and grabbed them tightly as she pressed on his diaphragm, trying to coax the toast out of his wind pipe.

"Shinji," she grunted, releasing her pressure for a brief moment and then reapplying it. "If you don't relax, I can't help you!" She sounded almost like she was criticizing the poor boy, but distress could be heard in her voice. As she tried for a fourth time to force the toast back out, she lifted Shinji off of the ground with her increased force.

Shinji released his hold on Asuka's hands and let his arms relax, trying to do as she asked. He still found it hard to relax with her so close to him though. As she continued to crush his tightened abs in an attempt to push his diaphragm his arms began to flail at his sides. His chokes were beginning to turn into yelps and coughs with each press she applied.

"Just relax!" Asuka pleaded forcefully, lifting him higher into the air, increasing her pressure even more. Shinji had begun to turn dark red and Asuka was quickening her attempts. Shinji began to turn blue, causing Asuka to panic and heave with all her might. "Shinji!" she screamed. She lifted him higher than intended, causing her to fall backwards with the boy following her.

As they landed Asuka tightened her grip around him to brace for the impact and dug her cheek into the back of his neck. Shinji threw his arms back and planted his hands on the ground to cushion his fall and finally coughed the piece of toast out as he landed.

"Guh…" he gasped, taking in as much air as possible.

The two remained on the ground, Asuka hugging to the boy like he would keep her protected with her cheek digging into his neck. Her legs were parted slightly so that his rested between them, lightening the weight on her slightly. Shinji just breathed heavily, his chest heaving as he tried to recover as quickly as possible. He hadn't even noticed the position that Asuka was currently in underneath him.

Meanwhile, Misato threw the bathroom door open with her toothbrush in her mouth shouting as best she could at hearing them crash to the ground.

"What's all the fuss!" she shouted., stray bubbles of lathered toothpaste flying from her foaming mouth. She stood up, shocked, at seeing the two teens lying on the ground together and nearly began to choke herself. "Huh!" was all she could think of saying in her exploding mind. Her toothbrush sagged and now hung in her mouth as she released it from her hand.

Shinji was the first to come back completely and jumped to his feet at realizing what Misato was so shocked to see. "Ah… Misato!" He said without thinking. He threw his arms up in defense and blushed. "It's not what you think!"

Misato just stood there with her arm supporting her against the wall as she tried to process what she saw. Her eye twitched and her mouth began to hang open. "What…" she started but stopped as whatever she was thinking became a blur.

Shinji waved his hands in front of her to mock another defensive pose and shut his eyes with a fake smile. "Misato, don't worry about it. Nothing happened." He chuckled, trying to lighten the awkward moment but was unsuccessful.

"Duh…" Misato continued to let out nothing but dumbfounded noises as Asuka got up and brushed her school dress off. The slightest shade of pink could be seen on her cheeks. Misato suddenly snapped back to reality and grabbed her head with both her hands. "Ahh!" She screamed, spitting out a flurry of foam and her toothbrush. "Just what the hell were you two doing!"

Shinji probably wanted to jump out the window and run for his dear life, but kept it at a small leap back with his arms flying every which way as he frantically explained in fragments that didn't connect properly. "Um, well," he would start but soon change to, "you see… we were… then she… and I… toast… um…" Shinji's arms waved around to give a visual effect that didn't help to explain the situation any better.

Asuka simply stood with wide eyes and an increasing blush with her mouth hanging open. As Shinji continued to blurt whatever came to his fleeting mind she slowly recovered with a hint of perspiration on her forehead. "Uh…" she began through Shinji's rushing explanations.

Misato was in her same state of shock with her left eye twitching, unable to understand Shinji's broken rants of distress. Asuka didn't quite understand what was going on in her mind, but could make out shock, and possibly even fear.

"We're going to be late for school!" Asuka shouted, grabbing the still cowering Shinji by the wrist and dragging him towards the door. As she grabbed their bags and slipped into her shoes Shinji stopped panicking and did likewise. Asuka's hand was still gripping his wrist and proceeded to pull him out the door as quickly as she had grabbed him out of his trance of fear. "Come on!"

Misato could barely here Shinji cry for Asuka to wait and heard the door open and close one more time. The boy peeked from around the corner and smiled sheepishly. "Uh… we forgot our lunches," he said as he stepped sideways to keep facing Misato. He grabbed the two lunch boxes with the same fake smile on his face and quickly slipped out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Misato just stood still, still completely shocked. Pen-Pen exited his cooler and yawned as he made his way to the bathroom. He paused for a moment to look up at the bewildered woman and smacked his tongue in his beak a few times in contemplation. With another exaggerated yawn, the penguin walked past the woman and shut the door to the bathroom.

**- x -**

"Man, I can't believe you choked on a piece of toast!" Asuka yelled as they began their trek to school. Asuka was walking forward at a pretty normal pace with her hands moving this way and that way as she went on about the morning's occurrence. "And when Misato came in?" Asuka shrugged at the unspecific question. "Just what were you doing?" She put her palms on her hips and held her head high, "waving your arms and talking like an idiot!"

Shinji frowned as Asuka berated him. By now he should have grown accustomed to it, and actually had at one point, but found it hard at the moment. After two weeks of acting strangely she seemed to suddenly jump back onto her usual ship with all her guns firing. "Sorry," he said, obviously irritated, by the sounds of his voice. He was walking at an even pace to keep up with Asuka, but kept a distance behind her with his head down.

"I was only kidding," Asuka said, still not turning to look him in the face. Shinji thought that she was just being her usual self, ignoring him, but in truth she was hiding the slowly fading blush on her face. _He's… kinda cute when he's like that though._ Thinking back to the event seemed to return the blush full strength, making Asuka walk a bit faster.

Shinji raised his gaze from the ground as he saw Asuka's feet leave its field of vision. "Huh? Hey!" He cried as he ran a few steps to catch up. "What's the rush?" He asked, slowing to match pace right next to her.

Asuka turned her face away but kept her fast pace, raising her shoulders to help hide her face. Her hands were holding her bag in front of her knees unusually tight.

"Asuka?" Shinji asked.

Asuka stopped, causing Shinji to stand slightly in front of her once he managed to stop. He turned to look at her, eyes pleading for a response. Asuka just stood with the early morning wind blowing her dress in its calm embrace. Asuka's arms were swaying back and forth with her fingers twiddling nervously. She still had her face turned away, but it was obvious that she wasn't angry from the position of her shoulders, which were slumped lower than usual and tense.

Shinji, unfortunately, wasn't the brightest when it came to reading body language. He began to tremble slightly as the moment of silence continued and tightened his left hand into a fist and relaxed in a steady pattern. "I… I'm sorry," he said, unsure if it was the right thing to say.

Asuka giggled at hearing him say those words. Using her hand to brush some hair out of her face, she lifted her gaze and turned to look at him with a smile. "That's my Shinji," she said, walking towards him. She stopped right in front him, bare inches from his face.

Shinji could feel the heat in his body rising and began to quicken the pace of his twitching hand. He tried to back away as she got closer, but discovered that his feet refused to move. He struggled, but felt like he was coated with a fine layer of lead. Even his lungs had trouble doing what were otherwise actions that didn't require actual concentration. _Her… her Shinji?_ He wondered, staring into the joyful blue eyes that gazed back with a life he hadn't seen in them for a long time.

Asuka smiled and flicked Shinji's forehead, just like she had when she first moved to Japan. "You should appreciate your good fortune," she said, beginning to walk again.

Shinji rubbed his forehead where her finger had struck him and mumbled, confused. "What?" he asked. He turned around and saw her back slowly moving away. "What do you mean?" he asked again, louder than last time. "What good fortune?"

Asuka stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Well?" she asked. "You don't think I'd walk to school with just any idiot, do you?" She smiled at him and faced forward again to continue her way to school.

Shinji let his mouth hang open as he absorbed her words. He had never heard her say anything like that to or about him before. If she ever said anything nice, it was usually sarcastic and patronizing. _Could she… could she really mean it?_

"Hurry up!" Asuka yelled from afar, sounding a bit irritated. Her left hand was cupped around her mouth to help carry her voice to him.

Shinji jumped slightly at being shocked back to reality and ran to catch up with Asuka Again. "Sorry."

"Geez…" Asuka groaned as Shinji caught up to her. "You know, you don't have to always apologize."

"Sorry," they both said at the same time, Asuka more mockingly.

"I should have expected as much…" Asuka said, shrugging her shoulders. "We'll work on that."

Shinji lowered his head in shame at Asuka's comment. "Okay…"

"Uh…" Asuka paused. She didn't expect Shinji to get so down about what she was saying. "Not that it's bad, or anything."

"But you just said," Shinji started, but was cut off by Asuka's hand over his mouth.

"I said we'd work on it, not kill it, idiot!" Asuka said harshly. Asuka had a slightly angry fire in her eyes as she brought her face closer and glared at the boy she was forcing to shut up.

Shinji tried to say something, but only managed a "srmmmry," through Asuka's tight grip over his mouth.

"…" was all Asuka had to say at his reply. _That… that idiot just said sorry again! I just know it!_ Her thoughts screamed and echoed her annoyance. What she thought was cute had quickly become vexation for Asuka. "Oh, let's just drop it already." She said, finally letting go of Shinji's mouth.

Shinji exhaled loudly and then gasped quickly for fresh air. He didn't follow as Asuka began to walk again. _She smells so nice…_ Shinji noted, bringing his fingers to his face where her fragrance lingered because of her hand. _Her slaps never leave behind that scent…_

"I'm waiting," Asuka rang, dragging the vowels so the words carried her impatience.

Shinji blinked as his thoughts were washed away by Asuka's tone and once again ran to catch up. "So… o… eh… mmm…" Shinji stuttered, but caught himself, finally. "Coming," he said as he fell in step with Asuka, this time by her side.

Asuka smiled at hearing Shinji catch on, and found herself blushing again. _Come on, Asuka! Get a grip! _She tried to cheer herself under control mentally as she hid her face under her hair. "That's a start," she replied sweetly.

Shinji smiled, but frowned again when he saw Asuka hiding her face from him again. He was about to ask about that when he noticed something on the back of her head. "Hey," he said, getting her attention. "Why aren't you wearing your usual hair clips?"

"What?" Asuka asked. She ran her hand through her hair and felt that it was in its usual style, held up by two hair clips. "What do you mean? They're right there," she said, leaning over to show him the hair clips.

"Those aren't your usual ones," Shinji said. He noticed that Asuka was wearing a pair of simple slips with beads designed to look like pearls. He noticed that same sweet scent in her hair as from before. The smell made him feel a little light on his feet. "Where are your neural plugs?" he asked, still basking in Asuka's scent, but hiding it under an inquisitive face.

"Oh…" Asuka said. Her voice was quiet as she dropped her hand from her hair and stood up.

Shinji noticed the sudden change and looked at Asuka's face for some sort of answer. Her skin had become pale and her once life filled eyes now seemed empty. "Asuka?"

"I can't pilot anymore," she said, sounding like she was lost in herself. "So, you see…" she paused and turned to face Shinji with a weak smile. "There's no reason for me to wear them anymore."

"Oh…" Shinji had no expression for what he felt at seeing Asuka wear such a fake smile. It just wasn't something he was used to seeing from her. "That's… too bad," he said, unsure if this was the best thing to say.

"Huh?" Asuka asked, losing the smile slightly and becoming curious.

"I think you look good with them on," he finished, smiling, slightly flushed.

Asuka completely lost her fake smile to Shinji's words and let her jaw hang in surprise. After failing to say anything, she smiled again, this time more fully and with a grin.

Shinji returned the gesture, happy to see Asuka smile for real this time. They kept like this for quite some time, forgetting the world around them when Shinji noticed a girl with pale blue hair cross his vision off in the distance. _Rei…_ Shinji let his eyes follow her as she turned a corner before returning to Asuka's. "We'd better get going…"

"Yeah…" Asuka said, turning to face forward again and continuing to walk towards school. She looked at the sky and noticed that the sun had gotten pretty high. "Ah! We have to get going!" At that, Asuka grabbed Shinji by the wrist as she had earlier that morning and began sprinting towards the school.

**- x -**

Rei sat at her desk next to the window on the second floor of her school watching the many students mingle in the minutes before class began. She wasn't interested in what they talked about, or the people themselves. She just watched time pass them by as they carelessly went through life. A familiar voice could be heard from down the hall, prompting Rei to turn around to watch the door for her fellow pilots.

"Would you hurry up?" Asuka asked, obviously irritated. Her tone was like it always was in the morning at school. Rei's face had no expression as she listened to her.

Shinji cried back in his usual cowardly manner. "Sorry," he said. "What's… what's the rush, Asuka?" Rei's expression changed ever so slightly at hearing Shinji's voice. Her icy cold glare warmed up the slightest bit and her cheeks relaxed with her lips.

"If you don't hurry, you're going to _really_ be sorry!" Asuka shouted, words sounding much like a threat. Seconds later, she came rushing through the door dragging Shinji behind her by his right hand.

This brought out an immediate change in Rei. Seeing them holding hands, even in such a trivial manner, made her squint and growl softly. She felt her body become tense involuntarily and felt like walking over to them and free Shinji's hand.

Shinji managed to stop Asuka long enough to look around the class room. Everyone was watching them, but not because they were surprised. Their classmates were all smiling at the school-wide inside joke that had already been revived. Yes, school hadn't even begun, and he and Asuka had already become the newlyweds _again_. Shinji frowned at realizing the torment he would already face by lunchtime, when he saw Rei staring at him with cold, angry eyes. "Hmm?" he mumbled to himself. "Oh, hi, Rei!" Shinji waved towards her with his free hand, smiling lightly.

Rei's eyes widened and she turned back to gazing out the window as she began to think about what had just happened. _Why… why did I feel that way just now? _She wondered, remembering a burning feeling in her chest at seeing the third child holding hands with the second.

Asuka pulled Shinji's arm so that it crossed in front of her and brought Shinji's face looking at hers. Her eyes were burning with an emotion he hadn't seen in a long time. Shinji could barely piece together his sentence as her eyes burned into his resolve. "D… did I do something wrong?"

Asuka pulled Shinji's face in closer and hissed. "Don't act stupid," she said. Before Shinji could say anything, she turned and pulled him over to a desk. She forced him to sit and placed her hands on her hips, "this is where you're going to sit!" she commanded, almost like Shinji was her obedient pet.

The seat was about as far away from Rei's as you could get, making Shinji wonder about Asuka's decision. He looked into her eyes, which had lost some of their fire, but continued to burn. He gulped some saliva that had pooled in his nervous throat and leaned back as he spoke weakly. "Okay," he said. He was scared and confused. The walk to school had been fairly pleasant, but Asuka had suddenly been overtaken by some sort of impulse. Shinji decided it was best to go with it.

"Good," Asuka said, smiling and turning around to take her seat next to him. "And this is where… hey!"

Toji was leaning back in the desk, trying his best not to break out in laughter at foiling the red devil's unusual plan. He rested his head on his hands as he reclined in his seat and stretched his legs on the desk. He looked over and smiled.

"I was going to sit there!" Asuka shouted, bending over to add visual effect to her claim.

"Were you?" Toji asked sarcastically. He addressed the spot he was in by placing a hand on his chest and made a face that was equally sarcastic.

"Yes, I was!" Asuka shouted even louder, making the rest of the room seem silent by comparison as more students began to watch.

"Well," Toji turned his head to look up at the ceiling as he dragged out the word. "Too bad," he said, obviously enjoying her facial response. "You snooze, you lose!" He pointed up a finger at his words of wisdom, and laughed as Asuka's left eye began to twitch at her being irritated so much.

Asuka was ready to explode, but closed her eyes and silently brought herself to a more relaxed state. "That's okay," she said, standing up straight again. "I can sit over here… hey!" She turned to see Kensuke Aida sitting in the other seat next to Shinji.

Kensuke had a similar, but slightly afraid smile on his face as he sheepishly saluted the angry girl from his new seat. "Something wrong, Asuka?" he asked, laughter also threatening to break loose.

"Why you…" she brought her hands up, fingers twitching as they formed a shape suitable for strangling the wannabe spy. "That's my seat," she said, low and threatening.

"Really?" Kensuke fixed his glasses and looked around enthusiastically for a short moment. "That's funny, it's first come, first serve," he said, shrugging. "I don't recall seeing you sitting here…" He looked around again and readjusted his glasses as he returned to looking at Asuka. "I guess that means this seat's mine!"

Asuka's left eye began to twitch again, more so than before. Her teeth were clenched as she tried to scare the boy into leaving the seat on Shinji's right. She bent over Shinji's desk, and grabbed onto the wooden board. Her body heaved with her angry breathing, making Shinji feel more uncomfortable than Kensuke, who looked pretty scared himself.

Kensuke, however, kept his ground despite his fear. He smiled as best he could through his trembling face and blinked as sweat left a cool path down its side. Readjusting his glasses again, he cleared his throat, "Sorry, seat's taken." He held his nose high, trying to look as brave as possible, but couldn't stop his body from trembling.

Seeing that he wouldn't leave Asuka gave up and exhaled out loud in frustration. "Fine, I'll sit over here… WHAT!"

The seat behind Shinji was also taken, this one by Ameko Kentaru. She didn't have any significance to Shinji, but Asuka knew that she was one of the girls that had a crush on him because of his status as an Eva pilot. Ameko smiled, not really in on the joke that Toji and Kensuke were sharing. "Hello, Asuka!"

The girl was one of the youngest in the class, and she seemed to enjoy acting slightly childish. Her brown hair was cut short, just before shoulder length. Asuka had to admit that it made her cute, which is what pissed her off so much. Her figure wasn't anything special when compared to her own. Ameko was shorter than Asuka, even more so than Shinji, but her legs were nearly as long with her torso being short. The proportions were what most men lusted for. If Shinji even looked at her that way Asuka would send him to a world of hurt.

_Then again… _Asuka thought, trying to sort out why she was so angry. _Shinji's too stupid to make a move on her… at least he better be!_

"Ameko…" Asuka shut her eyes to try to hide her anger, but couldn't stop the twitch in her left. "Hi… so nice to see you're still in our class."

Asuka, defeated in every way possible gave up and sat in the seat to Toji's left. Asuka didn't want to sit in front of Shinji, since she hated being close to the front, and had no intention of being next to Ameko to hear her gab about whatever filled that head of hers. Asuka huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as she began to pout. She looked at Shinji through the corner of her eye and saw that he had completely forgotten about her, completely absorbed in talking with his two friends.

_That idiot…_ She felt her heart begin to ache. _He didn't even try to stop them..._ Asuka continued to pout, and turned away from Shinji in hopes of catching his attention. When Shinji gave her none, Asuka stared determinedly out the window at the far end of the room. Now, she was really angry and didn't want his attention at all.

"Asuka!" a familiar voice shouted from the door of the classroom.

Asuka turned her gaze, still pouting, but lit up at who she saw. "Hikari!" she shouted back, waving her best friend over.

**- x -**

Commander Ikari stared emotionlessly at Unit-02 while he waited for Doctor Ritsuko Akagi to arrive. After SEELE's meeting, he called the doctor for important business.

The red giant stared blankly at the unreadable man, asleep within its metal shell forged by man. Within that shell rested a soul that was now awake. This soul made the Eva more than it should have ever become or was intended to become. A soul that was aware of good and evil. It was a soul that could reach to the Tree of Life and destroy humanity through third impact. It was what SEELE feared and would destroy if they ever discovered its secret.

"What did they say?" Doctor Akagi asked, beginning to make her way across the platform that allowed access to the Eva's shoulders.

"You are certain that the results are correct?" He asked, completely ignoring the doctor's question. He stood watching the Eva as the doctor came closer.

Ritsuko looked surprised at the question, but quickly caught on. "Yes, the Magi returned a 99.9% match." She looked over at Unit-02, feeling a chill run down her body. After the fourth's accident with the activation test, she found the sight of the red giant unsettling.

"Mmm…" Gendo squinted. He didn't care either way, but had to alter his timetable based on what was happening. "So it was indeed nothing more than the physical form of the 13th angel…"

"It would seem that way," the doctor replied, not really sure what to say. Although their tests returned favorable results, she wasn't sure about anything these days. The Evas and Angels were beyond the sciences of man.

"I want the second child to return to her piloting duties," he said. He didn't turn to address her presence when she stood next to him, keeping his icy glare on the Eva.

"Misato's report says that she isn't ready," the doctor replied.

"That is irrelevant," he insisted. "SEELE's Eva Series is nearly complete. If we are to move forward with our plan, we need both Unit-01 and 02 now."

There was a moment of silence as Ritsuko fought to stop herself from arguing with him. "Understood," she finally said, closing her eyes and turning around to leave. "I'll have Unit-02 reprogrammed for Asuka immediately." _But can she pilot it? Will she pilot it once its soul joins with hers?_

Gendo Ikari smiled.

**- x -**

"Charging LCL," Maya said through her microphone. The orange fluid in the entry plug flashed brightly briefly before turning blue to signify that the test had begun. Shinji leaned back his head and relaxed like he always did. _Here comes another thirty minutes of boring silence…_ he thought to himself. That's usually what he did during the sync tests, think.

He looked over to his left and saw Rei's test plug. Even though he could not see her, he could have sworn that a cold aura was radiating from the metal shell. That's all he could ever feel form Rei now. Long gone were the moments of warmth that he saw in her. He began to wonder if it was him that was causing her to appear cold. If it was one thing he had learned since coming to Tokyo-3, and living with Asuka for that matter, it was that people see what they want to see. _Maybe I'm just afraid… of the truth. Even though I know, that doesn't change who she is._

As he continued to contemplate his situation with Rei, Shinji drifted off to thinking about what had happened earlier that day at school. He remembered Rei giving him and Asuka a very scary glare when they arrived to class. Being his usual self, Shinji tried to alleviate the situation by running from it. In that case, he ran by acting innocent and oblivious towards Rei. That was all he could do before Asuka dragged him as far away from the other girl as she could within the room.

While Asuka had seen her ups and downs since returning home, she was something completely different at school. She showed the same fire of life she had at her peak. Shinji thought that it would be a good day to get to talk to her, but was surprised to discover that she was angry at him during lunch.

"I wonder what I did to upset her so much." He thought out loud. He usually did that when he was alone, especially when in the entry plug of Unit-01. That had stopped lately, however, because voices had begun to answer back.

"Shinji, can you hear me?"

Shinji blinked a few times until he was fully alert of his surroundings. He looked forwards towards the observation window and saw Misato nearly pressing her face against the glass with a microphone to her mouth.

"Uh… yeah, I can hear you, Misato." His voice sounded afraid. Shinji knew that they could see him through the plug monitors, so he smiled weakly.

"You're thinking too much," his guardian and commanding officer said bluntly. Although she wore an angry face, Shinji detected worry in her voice. "Try to calm down and concentrate on the test."

Shinji mumbled to himself, realizing her words were a request and not an order. If it was an order, he'd have no problem with complying, but since it was a request, he felt guilty. In his mind, he had done something wrong to worry her. _No one should have to worry about me…_ he began thinking again. He had spent his entire life with people who didn't care about him, so he thought it was natural. Whenever someone did worry about him, Shinji looked at it like a problem he was at fault for. He could only see people suffering because of him; because of something he did.

_Maybe… maybe that's why I admire Asuka so much._ Shinji let his eyes droop slightly as he thought about the girl that made his heart tremble. He couldn't decide if it was in fear, or something else. _She doesn't care about me, so I can't cause her pain._ Shinji wanted to believe what he was thinking, but frowned at how wrong the words felt. He felt empty whenever he thought about his relationship with Asuka, if you could call it that. He wanted to fill the void, but didn't know how to. He didn't know what it was that he desired from her.

Shinji sighed deeply and washed the chain of thoughts from his mind. He was glad that he wasn't in Unit-01 itself, because it was times like this when the voices would begin to talk. He was thankful for the peace and quiet of the test chamber and began to relax, finally. Shinji took a deep breath and let his whole body go limp. For the time being his problems didn't matter. He could forget the pains of reality and escape to a world of peace.

_"Dreaming again?"_ he heard someone ask. It was a whisper that Shinji couldn't identify, but felt it belonged to someone he knew.

Shinji opened his eyes slowly and towards the observation chamber. When he saw no one looked directly at him, he said, "Excuse me?"

"What is it, Shinji?" Doctor Ritsuko asked, leaning over a command terminal. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh…" Shinji held his words in his throat as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Since he couldn't come to any likely conclusion, he shrugged it all off. "No, it's nothing," he said. He once again relaxed and returned to thinking of nothing.

_"Yes, that's right,"_ the voice whispered again. It almost sounded female, but had a deeper tone than you'd expect from a woman. The voice echoed through the chamber gently, letting the words settle into Shinji's mind.

"What," he began to say, but was cut off.

_"You desire nothing,"_ the voice stated, contempt showing through its tone.

"That," Shinji tried to speak again, but the voice didn't seem interested in any response from the boy.

_"You desire a world with no one else."_

"But," Shinji remained as calm as possible so he wouldn't alarm the people monitoring his progress. He was starting to get frustrated at not being able to speak a complete sentence.

_"You desire a world where no one can hurt you." _The voice was starting to get louder, but remained a whisper. "_A world where you can cause others no pain."_

Shinji was surprised at what he heard. He began to wonder if what the voice said was true. He shook his head and squinted in concentration. _I don't want to be alone anymore!_ He screamed inside his mind, thinking that the voice would be able to hear him somehow.

He was replied by the eerie silence of the test chamber.

Shinji frowned at the silence. While it was welcoming before, it felt unsettling now. The loud hum of the test plug's instruments was overwhelming Shinji's ears as he concentrated on listening for an answer. He got one.

The voice was harsh and angry as it spoke. _"You will always be alone, Shinji Ikari."_

Shinji shot his eyes open and gasped when he heard the words. His heart was beating faster than it had in a long time. He could feel his entire body trembling from an anxiety that he so often felt. A sudden feeling of need and desperation overtook his mind, causing Shinji to panic.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:3**

**- The Unknown. Voices and Memories. -**

"It has begun…" SEELE-01 announced.

"Contact with the children has been made?" SEELE-02 asked.

"Yes," SEELE-01 answered with a touch of joy; evil joy. "Ikari, we did not want it to be this way," he said to no one in particular. "There is no other way."

**- x -**

Toji took another deep breath as he nearly fell asleep in the warm test plug. Doctor Ritsuko Akagi had strictly instructed him that falling asleep while doing sync tests would require him to start over, which was the last thing he wanted. He found the task of staying awake nearly impossible though. The test plugs were warm, boring, and had a constant hum that seemed to numb his mind. It didn't help that thinking about anything caused sync ratios to drop.

Toji frowned a bit as he tried to empty his mind. He thought that would be easy enough for him to do, since everyone told him his head must've been empty anyways, but found an ocean of thoughts to ponder whenever he was in the test plug.

_Come on, Toji! Now is not the time to think!_ He yelled at himself in his mind and took another deep breath to try to relax. As he exhaled loudly he could feel the thick liquid he was submerged in become unsettled slightly. He ignored the change in the LCL due to his heavy breathing, remembering a lesson that Shinji had given him.

It was after his activation test with Unit-02. Shinji met Toji as he was cleared to leave the hospital and confronted him about piloting the Evas. After a brief argument that much resembled the one they had had the previous day, Shinji accepted his choice. That's when Toji asked his friend about what he had experienced inside the Eva.

Toji didn't tell Shinji exactly what he saw or heard, just small details about how it felt.

Shinji seemed to laugh more for irony than anything else when Toji started talking about the liquid he was submerged in.

"Don't think about the LCL," he had said. "You'll notice things that'll only distract you and scare you."

_Scare me…_ Toji began to think about what scared him. He thought about losing his sister and his friends and the battle against Eva Unit-01 that he was helpless to stop. _I don't understand. How can the LCL scare me?_

_"Why not ask the third child?"_ a voice whispered, barely audible.

Toji stiffened at the sudden intrusion and opened his eyes slightly. There wasn't anything unusual that he could see. Toji emptied his lungs of as much air as possible in a sigh. He could feel the weight of the LCL begun to press against his depleted lungs and slowly took in another breath. _Now I KNOW I have to loosen up. I'm starting to hear things._

_"Asuka… Please die with me…"_ he heard a woman's voice say. The voice sounded insane and the words echoed away as the other voice returned, laughing to itself. Toji shivered at remembering those words. He had heard them during his activation test with Unit-02. At the time, it was a mess of images and sounds, but as time progressed they began to clear.

_"You wonder about what saw inside the Eva…"_ the voice said. Toji had never heard that voice before, but it sounded like it belonged to a boy his age.

"Wha… what was it?" he asked weakly, unsure of what to do. He wanted to contact Doctor Akagi about what was happening, but was also curious about what he might discover.

_"It was the Eva."_ The voice said. As its words echoed it spoke some more, overlapping its own voice. _"It was its soul. It was its will. It was its past. It was its life."_

The four phrases were repeated over and over again. Toji began to feel his mind being torn apart as the voices became louder and echoed more hollowly. They were beginning to sound like the voices from ghost movies he had seen. He began to tense his entire body to shut out the noises, but was unable to have any effect on them.

_"The Eva has a soul,"_ the voice said through the constant rain of phrases. _"It will not bend to your will."_

_I don't know what the hell you're talking about! _Toji admitted. He knew that the Evas were more than machines from personal experience, but souls? For someone like him, it sounded like something straight out of a cheesy sci-fi movie.

_"Soon you will know,"_ the voice whispered, becoming quiet. The repeated phrases ceased and Toji was finally able to relax. He was breathing heavily and could feel sweat on his face despite being submerged in LCL. _"But it will be too late. They will be free."_ The voice said.

Toji stopped his heavy breathing and blinked before looking upwards. "Free?" he asked blindly.

_"Come and die with me…"_ the woman's voice from his memories asked again.

**- x -**

Ritsuko was writing down some notes for analyzing the sync data when a blinking light on a monitor to her right caught her attention. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Maya glanced over her console while typing in some basic commands at the flashing light. Shinji's image and data readouts were highlighted while an orange message was blinking. Maya read over the small message and the readouts without changing her expression the slightest bit. "The third child's brainwave graph is showing some irregularities."

"What sort of irregularities?" Ritsuko asked, walking over and leaning closer to read the graph for herself.

"I don't know, ma'am," Maya admitted. She tilted her head when Ritsuko leaned over to give her a better view. "His brainwave pattern is fluctuating, but not erratically."

"So the pilot isn't experiencing trauma," Ritsuko said. She began to tap her finger on the command board as she thought about what she saw. Shinji's graphs were out of the ordinary, but not considered erratic. The video feed from the test plug showed that he was a bit tense, but that wasn't anything strange for Shinji either.

If it were simply trauma she would call off the test and have him checked out, but since he was in control there was something else going on. "How is this affecting his sync ratio?"

Maya pressed a few buttons and brought up an image of Shinji inside the test plug with several graphs to the right. A large bar graph at the top fluctuated at the forty-seven marker. "It's getting lower…" Maya said, unsure of how her superiors would react to the news.

Ritsuko sighed out loud and stood up. She used her right hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, which seemed to be irritated all of a sudden.

"How long has this been going on?" a woman asked from their left. It was Misato. She stood gazing out the viewing window with her arms crossed over chest.

Maya glanced at a line graph underneath the bar graph. A white line formed what looked like the most treacherous of mountain ranges with needle-like peaks. As the graph moved to the right the peaks gradually got lower with a sudden plunge just recently. "Approximately forty seconds," she informed.

"Hmm…" Ritsuko leaned over again while Misato turned to watch. She examined the graph closely and noted that Shinji's sync ratio started at eighty-nine percent, which was even higher than when he fought against the last angel. She also noticed when she compared the sync graph to the brainwave graph just below it that his sync ratio's drop started at the same time his brainwave activity became proactive.

After she had examined the graphs for quite a while, Misato walked over and made her presence known. "Is something wrong?" she asked firmly, keeping her arms crossed as she stood with her shadow hanging over the two women.

"I can't be sure yet," Ritsuko replied. She stood up and adjusted her glasses while she turned to address her old friend straight forward. "We'll continue the test for now. I want the third child's graphs watched closely."

Another blinking light caught the scientist's attention, forcing her to stop giving out her orders to attend to it. "Another one?" she asked in building frustration. Ritsuko saw that the fourth child's graphs were also experiencing irregularities now. His sync ratio was running on a pre-activation program of the nearly complete Unit-03 and was showing promise with a forty-five ratio reading. Now it had begun to fall slightly, stopping at thirty-eight.

"The fourth child too," Ritsuko mumbled, letting her voice trail off as she finished the sentence. She ran a hand through her blonde her and sighed. "Well… he _is_ still new to all this," she said, trying to make light of the situation.

"Are you sure that's it?" Misato asked, her eyes squinting at the scientist.

Ritsuko ignored Misato's facial gesture and looked at the graphs. "He's doing very well for someone with so little experience," she explained, avoiding a clear answer to the question she had been asked.

"That's not what I wanted to hear," Misato said coldly. She couldn't stand it when Ritsuko kept things from her and lately that had been a lot. She was about to continue and ask the same question in a more aggressive form when an alarm went off on the console.

The high pitched beeping could faintly be heard in the giant control chamber, but they knew what it meant. One of the pilots was becoming unstable.

"What's wrong?" Misato asked still keeping her icy glare on the woman before her.

Ritsuko returned her attention to the fourth child's graphs and noticed that his sync ratio had bottomed at twenty-eight while his brainwave pattern had become unstable. The video feed showed that he was grasping the back of his head and clenching his teeth. "Something's wrong with the fourth child. He's starting to experience mental trauma."

"But that's not possible during a sync test!" Misato shouted. She had lost her icy glare and donned a fire in her eyes. "It's just a simulated computer program!"

"I know that!" Ritsuko yelled back. Her eyes held as much fire as Misato's, but had an ice to them. This cold was natural to the scientist, whom used it to hide her emotions quite often. She kept her gaze on Misato's, but was unable to stare her down. Another alarm sounded, forcing Ritsuko to reluctantly turn away from Misato. "Shinji too?" she gasped.

Shinji's graphs had begun to become erratic as well. His sync ratio bottomed at forty-one percent while his brainwaves went through the roof and the basement. Shinji's video feed looked similar to Toji's, his eyes shut tightly while he grabbed his forehead and winced.

Ritsuko took a moment to check the test plugs, but discovered that there wasn't a malfunction with the test programs. All the instruments were working perfectly and the LCL was at the right pressure and charge. She couldn't find a logical explanation. "This can't be happening," she said quietly.

Misato had had enough. She threw her fist through the air and held it at her side. "Damn it! Do something!" she yelled. Her eyes had squinted even more into a glare that few had ever seen. Ritsuko, however, knew the look well.

Ritsuko glanced from the angry woman glaring at her to the monitor displaying the warnings. A sigh escaped her as she rubbed her forehead and wiped the sweat from her brow. She squinted her eyes from under her glasses and cleared her throat. "Abort the test."

**- x -**

Shinji could feel his heart begin to beat faster. His breathing had become short and quick as the voice began to laugh at him. The laugh was that of someone gone mad. He hadn't heard the laugh before, or anything like it, but the voice still held a familiarity to him.

Through the laughter, the same voice began to speak. It came as a single voice overlapping itself with phrases and mad laughter that repeated steadily_. "I can see into your mind. I can see into your soul. You are alone. You will always be alone."_

Shinji tried to remain calm, but felt the voices begin to pull on his mind. He had heard this all before, but never in the test plug. The strain on his mind continued to increase, creating an aching pain in the back of his head. Shinji reached with both his hands and grasped the back of his head in reflex, but couldn't stop the voices or his headache.

Shinji felt like the temperature of the test plug was increasing and began to sweat. His lungs took in heavy breaths of air through the LCL that felt thick and hot. Shinji's ears pounded with the sound of his rapidly beating heart and the echoes of the voices. A faint dizziness began to blur Shinji's senses. His body began to loosen as he lost touch with his nerves and felt like he was air but as heavy as lead. When Shinji turned his head up to look forward, his head felt like it was spinning in a tornado.

Shinji forced his eyes open again as he heard a faint sound over everything in his head. The LCL flashed white and then dimmed to a dark blue as the program shut down. He would have let out a sigh of relief had the problem ceased, but it continued. Shinji did the only thing that he could. He screamed.

**- x -**

_"Asuka… come and die with me…"_ A woman's voice rang in Toji's head again. The barrage of visions he had seen within Unit-02 were playing in his head again, taking turns on the center stage at a speed that drove him insane.

Toji cried out as they continued to play. His mind felt like it was being torn apart by the memories he was given by the Eva. All he could do was scream as they took him over.

"Mental trauma is still increasing!" Maya shouted. Another alarm had gone off on her console, flashing an orange message warning that the pilots were succumbing to shock.

"But how?" Ritsuko asked. She spun her eyes back and forth as the graphs of Shinji and Toji became more erratic. "The program's been shut down."

"I don't know," Maya said. She continued to move her hands over the command board as fast as she could to alter the condition of the LCL in the test plugs as a means of fighting the anomaly. In the haze of the moment, she had forgotten that such procedures required that the pilots were actually synchronized with an Eva. Without a mental link, they could do nothing outside of altering the environmental settings. "Both pilots are approaching the end of the acceptable limit! What should we do?"

Ritsuko ran every option through her head, but couldn't come to anything solid. Had they been synchronized with Evas, they could do something by suing the link with the LCL, but that was useless in the current situation. Only one option made any sense in her mind. Her shoulders sagged as she exhaled deeply a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her throat felt like sand as she spoke. "Drain the LCL and unseal the plugs."

"Ma'am?" Maya asked, clueless as to what she was doing.

Ritsuko couldn't help but hang her head down in shame. She couldn't stand not being able to do anything, but she had to admit defeat in the face of this debacle. "I want a med-evac ready for the third and fourth children once they are retrieved from their plugs."

"What?" Maya asked, completely shocked. Her hands had stopped over her command board, stiff as ice.

Misato was just as shocked, but managed to keep her composer and even glare a questioning eye at the scientist that was supposed to be an expert on these tests. If you had looked closely though, you'd notice that she was trembling ever so slightly in fear.

"You heard me," Ritsuko said through the uncomfortable silence. She could almost feel the burning glare Misato gave her as well as the cold of everyone else who were more puzzled than she was. "Have a med-evac team assembled and retrieve the two pilots." She continued to give out orders in a professional stature, but couldn't help but feel weak. Her legs were shaking and felt like they would collapse any moment.

Maya remained in shock seconds after the order was issued. Her wary eyes never leaving her superior's struggling face. "Uh…" she mumbled as she turned back to her console and began to send the orders to the proper emergency wings. "Orders have been sent. The evac teams will be here in an estimated eleven minutes…" Maya said. Her voice was weak.

Misato let the two do what they had to before interjecting. She uncrossed her arms and let them hang at her sides as relaxed as possible. "What are you going to do?" she said, nearly whispering. Her throat felt sore and speaking brought a strain to it.

"The only thing I _can_ do," Ritsuko said bluntly. She didn't want to have to put up with anyone's crap on top of what she already had to do. "They'll be examined in the mental wing and treated as needed." Her voice was noticeably calmer. "I can't say or do anything else."

By now the evac teams had pulled the two children out of their plugs and tied them down to medical stretchers. They worked fast and without incident since the two boys didn't struggle against them. As the stretchers were pushed out of the testing chamber behind sliding doors, Misato couldn't help but feel that she had seen all this before. With that strange feeling of déjà vu also came the pain of remembering the past. It was a pain that brought her to tears.

**- x -**

Asuka was just finishing putting on her plug suit when Rei returned from the sync tests. She looked over after pressing the button on her wrist and watched Rei walk past her to her locker. Rei didn't say a word, as usual, and immediately started the task of changing back into her school clothes. Asuka stretched in the slightly unfamiliar suit, readjusting to the skin tight material.

Although she had spent most of her life as a pilot, the plug suit just didn't feel the same after being without it for so long. She looked at her hand while she rotated and tightened it into a fist. The suit stretched with her fingers into the fist, making it feel tight than it really was. _It feels foreign._ She thought, starting to lose some confidence. If the plug suit alone made her feel uncomfortable, there wasn't much hope for activating the Eva inside an LCL filled plug.

She sighed, setting her doubts aside and looking into the small mirror that sat at the back of her locker. Asuka rotated to look at herself in her red plug suit. As she turned almost completely around, she saw her neural clips sway in her hair.

_"You look good with them on,"_ she remembered Shinji had said that morning on their way to school. Asuka leaned forward and shifted the clips in her hair so that they were straight and smiled.

Rei looked over to Asuka when she heard her giggle lightly. _Why is she so happy?_ Rei wondered. She returned her attention to her bra and finished putting it on.

As she pulled her shirt over her head she heard Asuka say, "I'm going now." Rei ignored Asuka's announcement, because she didn't care what she did.

Asuka took one last look at Rei through the corner of her eye as the door slid open and sighed. _Freak-o-zoid…_ Asuka looked forward and saw Misato outside. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the door.

Rei looked over to Asuka's closed locker, thinking back to when she had giggled. _Laughter… _She remembered a conversation she had had with the commander. One in which she smiled at something he said. _Another memory that isn't mine…_

Misato and Ritsuko were waiting outside of the women's locker room when Asuka exited. Ritsuko looked as she usually did, distant and troubled over some aspect of work. Misato on the other hand, looked more troubled than usual.

Asuka quickly noticed, but wasn't interested in what was troubling her usually high spirited guardian. She looked from one end of the hall to the other, but saw no one else besides Ritsuko and Misato. "Where's Shinji?"

Ritsuko looked up from her clip board and began to answer, "Shinji's…"

"Shinji's with Toji," Misato quickly interjected, knowing her friend would have told Asuka he was being treated for mental trauma. She glanced at her friend and glared ever so slightly. _She doesn't need to know there was a problem before her activation test! _She looked back over to Asuka and smiled to create the illusion that there was nothing wrong.

Asuka was taken back from Misato's quick reply. Her fake smile didn't do much to help the situation either. "Oh…" Asuka said, giving up. She knew that when Misato was like this she was hiding something. She also knew, however, that Misato also wouldn't say anything no matter how hard she tried. It was probably the one thing that Misato managed to be both good _and_ bad at. She could hide something from people as long as she wanted to, but was terrible at covering it up.

"What's wrong, Asuka?" Misato asked, wondering why Asuka was so gloomy. "You said you were ready for this when you got here."

Asuka looked at the ground and to her right, trying to think of what to say. Her mind was still a mess, and it's true she had said she was ready, because at the time, she felt like she was. Now, she wasn't so sure. _Why am I doing this?_ She wondered. _Is it to prove I can do it? Is it for them? Or myself? _She thought back to the walk home from school after receiving the order from NERV.

"Asuka… are you sure you want to do it?" Shinji asked from her right side as they walked by a park.

Asuka took a moment to think. So many things were going on in her head, and not just about piloting Unit-02 again. A lot of her confusion had to do with her relationship with Shinji. Her visions had gotten less aggressive, but still left her in doubt. She still couldn't believe someone caring about her that way, especially Shinji. He seemed that way now, but was he really caring for her? Asuka remembered that Shinji didn't think that others should have to suffer. _Does he really care? Or is he just worried that someone other than himself will suffer?_

"Of course I'm sure," Asuka finally said, trying to sound confident in her answer. Her voice was steady and strong, sounding a bit irritated.

"Oh…" Shinji groaned, sounding disappointed in her answer. He looked away from her and began to stare at the ground as they continued down the empty sidewalk.

Asuka felt a little guilty at making Shinji feel that way, but didn't know what to do. _What was I supposed to say? "No, Shinji, I'm not sure. Please hold me!" That pervert…_ Asuka squinted in disgust.

"Well, if you're sure…" Shinji started. He stopped and looked up into the blue sky and sighed. "I hope you do well, Asuka."

Asuka stopped and turned around to look at Shinji, whom kept his eyes towards the sky. She looked up with him and saw some birds fly overhead. They spun around in circles, often giving chase to one another and chirping some sort of quarrel. _One chases the other, and then they fight. One runs away, and the other gives chase… It's the nature of all beings._ Asuka looked back at Shinji. He was still staring up at the sky, but seemed to have drifted off completely. _Shinji's running away from the fight. He doesn't want to trouble me…_

Asuka walked over to Shinji and looked into his eyes. They were empty, lost in whatever Shinji had fallen into. _And I give chase… unsure why._ Asuka sighed out loud, "hey."

Shinji didn't respond. He didn't look like he even heard her.

"Hey," Asuka said a little louder.

Shinji blinked, but still didn't respond in a way that showed he was paying attention.

Asuka mumbled. _Here I am… trying to confront this mess and he just runs off into dreamland! _Asuka wanted to escape like usual too, but she needed some clear space. She was tired of being afraid. "Shinji!" she screamed.

Shinji jumped and looked at Asuka. "What!" he asked, still a little shocked. He suddenly noticed how close her face was and fell backwards. "Ah!"

Asuka blinked at Shinji response. _What's with him?_ "It's about time you rejoined the living," she said sharply.

"…" Shinji looked away, a bit embarrassed at his actions and how he felt about everything. "Sorry," he said, blushing slightly.

"... I'll pretend you didn't say that," Asuka said, giving him a sarcastic glare. She was honestly tired of hearing him say that, even if it was cute. _Cute… Why does he look so cute when he's like that! ARG!_ Asuka began to scream in her mind. She couldn't figure it out. How did she develop these ideas? "Anyways…" Asuka said, pushing her conflicting emotions to the back of her head.

Shinji had recovered from his moment of surprise and was now looking into her eyes. They had been filled with life again, and shined with concern.

"Uh…" Asuka seemed to have forgotten what she wanted to say when she saw the way Shinji was looking at her. She felt her face get warm and turned around, noting wanting Shinji to see her like this. She didn't know if she was blushing because of the way he was looking at her because she was embarrassed about forgetting what she wanted say. She realized that the latter was because of the premier, so it could only be the first reason. "You'll… you'll be there, right?" she asked, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Hmm?" What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"My activation test, of course!" Asuka yelled. Asuka quickly calmed down and asked, "You'll be there, right?" She turned and waited for Shinji's answer. She wasn't sure why, but she felt profoundly anxious for his answer. _I give chase…_

"Uh…" Shinji didn't know what to say. He had assumed that Asuka wouldn't want him there, so hadn't really given thought about being there. He looked at the ground with wide eyes, looked for an answer outside of his now confused mind. "I… if you want me to," he said weakly.

"What kind of answer is that!" Asuka yelled, trying to sound angry. If anything, her act was believable, and even surprised her with how real it sounded. _We fight…_

"Well… I don't want to intrude…" Shinji seemed to shrink as he spoke. His hand was starting to twitch into a fist and then a relaxed position. "I know how you feel about me and piloting…" he finished, slumping slightly.

Asuka choked on her breath and took a step back. _How I feel about him and piloting?_ Asuka wondered. _What… how do I fell about him and piloting?_ Asuka wasn't quite sure. She remembered a lot of the things she said to him while piloting and in relation to piloting, but a lot of them had to do with her way of closing herself off. Now that she had lost touch with that side of her, it was a complete mystery.

"Forget about that," she said. _I run away from the fight…_

"What?" Shinji looked up.

_He gives chase…_ Asuka smiled sincerely and brushed some hair out of her face as wind blew by from the park. The sound of rustling leaves and chirping birds seemed to calm the mood for her. The chirping had lost its rampant noise and now sounded like rhythmic singing. _But I won't renew the fight…_ "Just be there," she said. _I'll stop and wait for him…_ "Please." _I'll stop running._

Shinji's hand had stopped its reflexive twitching now. He looked into her eyes again. The pattern he was so used to had been broken. He was once again lost in a sea of emotions and broken memories. Too many possibilities were present for him. He had to continue alone into the unknown.

_"The kanji we use for the word 'she' can also mean 'a woman far away'." _Shinji remembered what Kaji had told him about women. _"A woman will always seem to be on a distant shore. The gulf that separates male and female is deeper than any ocean."_ Shinji couldn't help, but find this true.

No matter what he tried, Asuka seemed so far away, but now she didn't seem so far away. This unfamiliarity puzzled him. _Just when I thought I had you figured out…_ He thought.

_"No, you only think you understand." _Kaji's words spoke in his memories again. _"Understanding 100% of anything is impossible. That's why we spend so much time trying to understand. Our own motivations and those of others… That's what makes life so… interesting."_

Shinji pondered those words and his own motivations. It was true, what he said. It was impossible to understand yourself, much less others. _My motivation…_ Shinji looked at how Asuka was smiling. He had seen it only once before, when he saved her in the volcano. Before then, she had done nothing but yell and fight with him, but that smile made all of that seem insignificant. _To see Asuka smile like that again._

"I'll be there," Shinji finally said, returning her smile. He wondered how long he had kept her waiting.

"Good," Asuka said, turning back around and continuing to walk. _I won't run away…_ "And… thank you, Shinji."

"What for?" Shinji asked, walking beside her again.

"For being there," she said. "When no one else was." _I won't run away again._

_I won't run away…_ Asuka remembered her conclusion. It wasn't just about her confusion about Shinji. It was about everything. Her visions were right, she always ran away.

"Asuka?" Misato called for her.

Asuka looked up at her commanding officer. "Huh?"

"You zoned out there for a while," she said. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Asuka blinked and nodded. She stood up straight and took a deep breath to relax. "I'm ready," she said. She tried to look confident, but suddenly remembered why he had lost it in the first place. "It's just that Shinji said he'd be there."

"Well… uh…" Misato stuttered. She didn't know Shinji had promised to be at Asuka's activation test. What was she supposed to say now?

Ritsuko pressed her clip board to her chest after jotting something down and looked at the young pilot. "I'm sorry, Asuka, but Shinji isn't authorized to attend activation tests."

"Oh…" Asuka said, sighing.

Misato was thankful of Ritsuko's answer, but felt it came out a bit harsh. "Don't worry," she said. "Shinji will be waiting for you just outside of the testing chamber!" Misato smiled cheerfully.

"Really?" Asuka asked, eyes starting to look hopeful.

"Of course!" Misato shouted, believing it herself. "Besides, he can't go home without at least one of us!" She laughed.

Asuka laughed too, although not as enthusiastically. "Okay," she said. "Let's do it."

As Rei exited the locker room she saw Ritsuko and Misato leave with Asuka for her activation test in Unit-02. After watching them turn the corner, she turned and walked the opposite direction. She passed by the men's locker room and stopped to look at the closed door.

Rei remembered that both of the male pilots were taken by med-evac to the mental wing of the hospital to be treated for mental trauma. Everyone seemed so distressed while the pilots were removed from the plugs and taken away, yet Rei felt nothing.

As she continued to stare at the door, a memory, or more correctly, two similar memories, flashed in her mind. One was of commander Ikari opening her still hot test plug with his bare hands and the other of Shinji Ikari doing the same.

Rei felt something cold run down her face and looked down as a tear hit her open hand. "I don't understand…" she said to herself. "These memories are not mine… so why am I crying?"

**- x -**

"Understood," Ritsuko said into a phone. She hung up and turned to Misato. "That was the mental wing. Both pilots checked out fine," she said.

Misato sighed in relief. "That's good to hear," she said. She turned around and looked out the viewing window at Unit-02. Asuka's plug was just now being placed inside of the Eva. "Are they awake?" she asked.

"Toji is," Ritsuko answered. "Shinji hasn't woken up yet, but shows no sign of a coma." She pulled out her clip board and got ready to start the test. "Do you want me to have him woken up and taken here?"

"No…" Misato answered slowly. She watched as the back of Unit-02 locked down and plug activation was confirmed on the main monitor. "Let him rest." Misato looked down at the ground with her arms crossed over her chest. "I'll tell Asuka everything after her test is over. It's better this way."

"Well, if that's your decision," Ritsuko said, turning her attention to the main monitor. "Asuka, are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am," Asuka said, sounding confident.

"Alright, begin the test!" Ritsuko shouted to everyone in the control chamber.

**- x -**

Toji blinked as he continued to stare upwards. He saw the familiar pale blue ceiling of the hospital overhead and came to the conclusion that something had gone wrong. He couldn't remember exactly what had happened, but knew it had something to do with what he saw inside of Unit-02.

"How long was I out?" he asked, hearing a nurse placing a tray on the table next to him.

"Not too long," the nurse answered. It was a woman, and she sounded cute. "You recovered very quickly."

"What about Shinji?" he asked.

"The other patient hasn't woken up yet, but he's just fine," the nurse said in a calming manner. It was her job to make things sound as pleasant as possible to keep patients and visitors as calm as possible. The obvious technique used here was to deliver good news after bad news.

"Hmm…" was all Toji said in response. He sat up in his bed slowly, checking for anything sore. When he discovered everything to be satisfactory, he stretched and yawned. "How long until I can go?" he asked.

"You've been cleared to leave already," the nurse said, lifting the data sheets at the foot of the bed. "Will you be leaving then?"

Toji thought about it for a moment. He certainly didn't want to remain lying in bed, especially in the gowns they put you in. "I might as well," he said, turning so that his legs hung over the side of the bed. He jumped down to his feet and looked around the room for his clothes. "Um…"

"Your clothes haven't been brought in, I'm afraid," the nurse said.

"That's okay," Toji said. "I can go get them myself." He made his way to the door, but was stopped by the nurse as he opened.

"If you'll be leaving, you'll have to fill out the release forms," she said, trying to sound as nice as possible.

Toji groaned at hearing what she said. "Okay…" he mumbled.

**- x -**

"Asuka," Ritsuko spoke into the intercom. "Try to concentrate."

"I'm trying," Asuka replied, sounding distressed.

Ritsuko turned from the intercom and looked at Maya. "Is there any change?"

"No, ma'am," Maya reported. "Her sync ratio still isn't high enough to successfully activate the Eva."

Ritsuko hissed. She looked at the graph as it fed the data onto the screen. "8.6%..." she said flatly. "I don't get it…" Ritsuko looked at the internal monitor that showed Asuka within the plug. She had a tense look on her face like she was trying to fight away some sort of pain. "Just relax and do it like you used to," Ritsuko ordered.

"I'm trying!" Asuka shouted. "This stupid thing won't work!"

"Asuka, stop making excuses and concentrate," Ritsuko said coldly. She turned off the intercom and watched the graphs. The bars had moved up slightly, fluctuating at 9.3%. Ritsuko squinted and sighed in defeat.

"What happens now?" Misato asked. She didn't know what would happen to Asuka if she couldn't activate the Eva.

"I'm not sure," Ritsuko answered, writing some notes on her board as she did so. "If situations were different, we'd terminate her status as a pilot and find a replacement."

"If situations were different?" Misato wondered.

"You saw for yourself," Ritsuko told her. "Unit-02 won't accept another pilot."

"Just like Unit-01…" Misato added, looking over to the Eva in the testing chamber. "But… when Unit-01 became that way, it took Shinji into itself and achieved perfect synchronization. This is nothing like that."

"I wish I could give you an explanation, but I can't," Ritsuko said. She looked over to Misato and became hauntingly serious. "You've read the reports. Unit-01 is a special case."

Misato thought back to the reports she was given while Shinji was still inside of Unit-01. Because of the situation, she was given access to highly classified files that regarded the first incident with Unit-01; files that told her about Shinji's mother's accident. "I suppose you're right," she admitted.

"That's enough for today, Asuka," Ritsuko said into the intercom. "We'll try again tomorrow."

"No, I almost have it!" Asuka protested. "Just five more minutes! It'll happen!"

"Asuka," Ritsuko said with authority. "This activation test is over." She turned off the intercom and looked over to Maya. "Start the shutdown sequence."

"Roger," Maya replied. "Discharging LCL."

"Damn it!" Asuka cursed as the LCL went through the shut down cycle. She was certain she could have done it. She just needed more time. _Why can't I do it? _Asuka wondered as the LCL began to drain from the plug. _I approached it just like I used to!_

Asuka bent over in the pilot chair as the plug was removed from Unit-02's back. _I'm worthless! _She began to chant mentally. _If I can't pilot… I'm worthless!_

The airlock of the entry plug dispersed its pressure seal and began to open slowly, revealing the white lighting of the test chamber. Asuka hid her eyes from the piercing light and continued to sink into her mental self pity. _Worthless! I'm worthless!_

Asuka looked up through the open plug at the control chamber above. She could see Ritsuko speaking with Maya about something while Misato looked on sadly. _Worthless!_ The words seemed to echo now, leaving behind a heavy feeling of despair on Asuka's shoulders. _I'm worthless!_

Misato turned around to look at Asuka. She looked troubled again, but quickly smiled with a thumbs-up gesture when she noticed Asuka staring at her with a mixed expression. Asuka looked away as she got out of the entry plug and onto the lift that had extended from the wall. _If I can't pilot Eva… I'm worthless!_

The lift carried Asuka over to a door next to the large windows of the control chamber. She heard a hiss as the door's air seal was released and a swish as it opened. Asuka was beginning to tremble with anger as she stepped into the control room. Her hands were balled into fists that shook at her sides while she fought back tears with clenched teeth.

Misato watched this display from Asuka, knowing what must have been going through the girl's mind. It was the same as before her coma. Asuka's pride was damaged and she was slipping into depression. "Um… about Shinji…" Misato started, wanting to get Asuka's mind off of the failed test, but also wanting to avoid a complete outburst.

"That idiot isn't here, is he!" Asuka cursed through her teeth. All recollection of the day's events with him had been replaced with a single mental loop. _If I can't pilot the Eva… I'm worthless!_ Asuka growled quietly as she walked forward to leave the control room and make her way to the locker room.

"Just you wait… When I get my hands on him I'll… I'll!" Asuka couldn't finish her sentence. She started to flinch and spasm with hands clenched in a position to strangle something. "I'll!" Asuka repeated, completely blinded by her anger.

"Shinji's… in the hospital…" Misato said. She watched for Asuka's reaction, wondering if she had even heard her.

Asuka froze in place, arms slowly dropping to her sides and eyes becoming blank. "In… the… hospital?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah…" Misato confirmed sadly. "There was a… difficulty during the sync tests today."

Asuka dropped her head to her shoulders and stared at the grey floor just before the door that led outside. She suddenly remembered through her prison of despair how Shinji had always been there for her. "I have to go," she said, exiting the room as quickly as she could without running.

"Asuka…" Misato called to the closed door. She didn't know what could be going on in the girl's mind now. "I'd better go check on Shinji," she said, turning to leave.

"Don't worry, Misato," Ritsuko said without turning from the main monitor. "Asuka will get another chance."

"Another chance…" Misato repeated sadly. _Another chance…_

**- x -**

Toji was sitting beside Shinji's still sleeping form in room 309 of the psych wing. He had decided to wait for his friend to wake up from his slumber before leaving. He looked over at the clock on the wall and noticed he had been there for nearly half an hour. _Shinji sure can sleep a long time…_ He began to think to himself.

The door to the room suddenly flew open with Asuka flying through it screaming. "Shinji!" she shouted, nearly throwing Toji out of his seat with her sudden arrival.

"Gah!" Toji yelped and covered his ears as he twisted in his chair to regain his balance. When he felt the all of the legs of the chair touching the ground again, he lowered his hands and looked over at Asuka. "Geez," he whined. "There's no need to yell."

Asuka didn't seem to notice that Toji was present. She was standing at Shinji's bedside, looking at his serene face. "Shinji…" she touched his cheek with her hand, feeling an awkward feeling through her entire body. It was a need for something.

Asuka began to sniffle as the feeling spread, making her body ache. Asuka's legs lost their strength, bringing her to her knees. She held herself up by resting her elbows on Shinji's bed, starting to heave as the need increased.

"Uh… Asuka?" Toji asked, starting to worry for her. He didn't get along with Asuka most of the time, but he still knew when someone needed release. "Are you okay?"

Asuka continued to ignore Toji, tears running down her face. "I couldn't do it," she mumbled through her short breaths. She dropped her head next to Shinji and began to sob out loud. Her shoulders twitched with every coughed breath and sniffled tear. "I couldn't do it, Shinji. I couldn't pilot the Eva."

Shinji remained unmoving, breathing quietly through his barely open mouth. His unconscious face looked at peace.

Toji had gotten up from his seat at seeing Asuka's break down. He wanted to do something, but what? He didn't any experience with this sort of thing, but he could just stand around and watch. _Think, Toji, think! What would Shinji do? Probably say "sorry," bad example. _Toji frowned as one option was thrown out the window. _Kensuke? He'd film this for blackmail material… How did I become friends with that guy anyways? _Toji's shoulders slumped. He had run through his list of close friends.

Asuka continued to cry, sounding like a girl that had just lost everything. "I'm worthless!" she managed to say in between sobs. Asuka started to breathe deeply to try to subdue her crying, but only managed to stop momentarily. Her control soon broke, reducing her to nothing but tears again. There were no more words, only tears.

Shinji slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. He heard the sound of someone crying to his left and looked over with tired eyes. Shinji saw Toji standing there, but he wasn't crying. Toji had a worried look on his face, but not a sad one. It was more like the face of someone at a loss at what to do. Shinji also noticed some locks of red hair in the corner of his eye. Sitting up slightly, Shinji saw that Asuka was the one he heard crying. "Asuka?" Shinji asked.

Asuka rubbed her face into the bedding as she tried once more to halt her tears. She lifted her head slightly, revealing a wet spot where she had been crying and ran a hand over her eyes to wipe some stray tears. "Shinji… I couldn't do it," she said sadly, nearly breaking down again at having to say it.

Shinji looked upon Asuka with concerned eyes. He moved his hand over hers and squeezed it gently, not sure if it was really welcome. "Couldn't do what, Asuka?"

"Pilot the Eva…" She said, almost whispering. Asuka got back onto her feet and leaned over Shinji's bed so that she could look him in the face. "I'm worthless…" she said, tears starting to breach her eyes again.

"Asuka…" Shinji called her to him and gently pressed her hand again. Part of him didn't want to be there, to be her emotional crutch, but the greater whole wanted to be there for her. He remembered the last time he was faced with this situation. It was when Misato received a message after Kaji's death. Shinji didn't do anything then. He couldn't do anything, but not this time. Shinji wouldn't run away this time. "You're not worthless," he said, wrapping an arm around Asuka's shoulders.

Asuka closed her eyes and fell onto Shinji's lap. Her hands dug into his right thigh as she tried to get some sort of grip on herself. Asuka didn't say anything the rest of their time there. All she did was accept Shinji's comfort and let herself go for once.

**To be continued…**

Okay, I know this one took forever to be released; two months. School started and I didn't have time to write for a while and when I finally did, I had writer's block. But now it's all good… yeah… By now, you've probably noticed that the chapters are being presented in episode format. I know this makes things seem long, but that's how I've chosen to write this fanfic. Any comments can be sent to .

Updated 4/19/2011: Reformatted for easier reading.


	4. 1:4 Brand New Day

"Our plan is moving along accordingly" a voice spoke grimly.

An expanse of darkness illuminated as a giant black tables lit up with a red glow. The characters 'SEELE 04' were written on its face.

"Contact with all four children has commenced," the tablet continued.

Eleven more tablets appeared, identical in size and glow. They formed a perfect circle, and numbered from 01 to 12.

"The results have been better than we expected," another of the tablets said, sounding rather pleased. It had 08 on its face.

"Indeed," another, SEELE-05, agreed. "The children have all responded to contact favorably. Intrusion was also easier than expected. Although there has been one small... delay"

"You speak of the second child," one of the tablets added, sure that was what his cohort was alluding to.

"Yes," SEELE-05 confirmed. "The second child did not respond to contact, if it was even made."

"And there is the issue of the first child," SEELE-03 added. "Although we always knew she would be a special case."

"We have yet to achieve contact with a pilot inside its paired Evangelion unit," one of the tablets, SEELE-03, cautioned. "Intrusion of electronic dummies and unstable pilot experiments could have simply left us a window of access."

"I agree," another tablet, SEELE-01, added. "However, these developments are still very promising. Excellent work."

A single circular light appeared in the center of the ring of tablets, revealing a massive capsule. It was filled with orange liquid, and had a single white haired youth floating within.

The boy opened his eyes to reveal his red irises. He smiled, and closed his eyes once again.

"It was my pleasure," he said.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:4**

**- Brand New Day -**

**By: OmegaGear**

Misato flipped through the report on her desk, barely taking in the information. It was hard for her to be interested in it, because she only really needed to know one thing out of the hundred page report. Evangelion Unit-03's cure system was complete, meaning they could begin synchronization simulations with Rei and Touji.

"You know, you don't have to pretend to read that," Ritsuko said. She was taking a sip of her coffee while looking over her own hundred page copy. "We both know only one piece of information is important to your job."

Misato sighed and threw the report onto a nearby desk. "Anything I should know besides the obvious?" she asked.

Ritsuko didn't answer immediately, making sure to finish the paragraph she was on. "Well, I'm sure you'll be glad to know that this reconstruction of Unit-03 isn't using any of the material from the old unit," she said finally.

Misato shivered at the thought of the former Unit-03. That activation test still remains the most costly debacle in NERV history. Both monetary and otherwise.

"That's a relief," she agreed. "Although, why not go all the way and give it a different number? Unit-03 carries a stigma now."

"Project management isn't very close to the situation," Ritsuko said matter of fact-ly. "They receive a budget, see that it's the same design, and re-assign the same number."

"How thoughtful," Misato said sarcastically. "Nice to know our billion dollar projects are in their hands."

"Anyway," Ritsuko got back to business, "I'm planning on running everyone through synchronization simulations with the Unit-03 core."

Misato perked up to attention at hear the doctor's plan. "All of them?" she asked. She wondered why they would need to test all of them with Unit-03's core.

"Yes," Ritsuko confirmed. "We need to determine which pilot is the best for the job," she explained. "Also, if Unit-03 activates successfully, along with Unit-02 potentially becoming active again, SEELE is reiterating its order to keep Unit-01 in cryo-stasis."

Misato didn't like the way things were being laid out for her. Unit-01 was the only operation unit they could rely on at the moment, and SEELE was still trying to have it shut down. Even if Unit-03 did have a successful activation, it would be months before any of the four pilots would be able to synchronize with it the way Shinji does with Unit-01.

As for Unit-02, that remained a mystery. Asuka hadn't attempted a second activation test yet, but the pressure was piling on for it to happen. Commander Ikari was virtually in crunch time mode, despite there being no foreseeable danger.

"So when do you want to start the simulations?" she asked.

"We'll be getting the core program for a test plug at the end of the week," Ritsuko said. "We'll have it integrated and ready for testing by next Wednesday."

"I'll have the pilots ready by then," Misato declared. She turned to leave, but was halted when Ritsuko called her name.

"There is another matter to discuss, Major," she said.

Misato sighed and prepared for what was sure to be a difficult discussion.

"Commander Ikari is ordering another activation test for the second child and Unit-02," the doctor said, sounding like she was giving a report.

"Of course he is," Misato said, not at all surprised that this was why Ritsuko had stopped her from leaving. It had been two weeks since Asuka's first activation test, but Misato didn't think the girl had made any progress in getting over her failure.

"He wants it done before the Unit-03 simulations," Ritsuko added.

Misato didn't like the sounds of that. She only had a week to get Asuka to do another Activation test.

"I'll talk to Asuka about it," Misato said. That was going to be another uncomfortable discussion.

**- x -**

Shinji frowned as he struggled to understand his math homework. Of all the subjects he had to study, math had to be the worst of them. How two accomplished scientists could have a child that was so bad at math puzzled him, but he wasn't very good at science either.

He glanced over to the living room, where Asuka was laying on her stomach while watching TV. She had changed out of her school uniform since getting home, wearing a pair of yellow shorts and white tank top.

Asuka had finished her homework, including this very math assignment, over an hour ago, which was nothing new. A natural born genius, Asuka had already graduated college once, so going through high school a second time was probably a joke to her. It was, in fact, only necessary so she would learn Japanese better, and so all of the pilots were in a single watchable location during the day.

Shinji glanced down at his homework and again at Asuka, whom didn't seem to have a care in the world. It had been two weeks since she failed her activation test with Unit-02, and had another break down. Since then, Shinji watched her slowly recover, and she seemed to have forgotten the ordeal, at least for now.

It was refreshing to see her like this. She was free of her burdens, and seemed completely herself.

Asuka was rarely like this, which is why Shinji was content in letting her remain that way as long as possible, but he was getting nowhere with his assignment. Sighing, he finally resigned himself to whatever fate he was getting himself into.

"Hey, Asuka?" He asked quietly.

"What?" Asuka asked in response, not sounding particularly interested in what Shinji wanted, but also not annoyed at him interrupting her show.

"Can you help me?" he asked. "I'm stuck."

Much to his surprise, Asuka turned off the TV without so much as a thought and rolled onto her back. She tucked her legs in and rolled forward onto her feet and stretched before walking over.

"What's the problem?" Asuka asked.

Shinji didn't answer immediately, still a bit shocked at her offering to help without any insult or frustration. "Uh," he mumbled while collecting his thoughts. "It's these math problems," he said finally.

Asuka glanced down at Shinji's notebook and frowned at the mess of scribbled, erased, and crossed out steps.

"Well, here's your first problem," she said while ripping the page out. "You're trying to solve the problem in this mess."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"Math is complicated enough without all your notes and mistakes scribbled around everywhere," she said, sounding a little agitated. "Alright, let's have a look."

Asuka spent a moment glancing over the problem, and smiled inwardly. They had started pre-calculus this year. It was a math she had learned years ago, and one of the few things she could do without the Japanese language slowing her down.

"Ha! These are easy!" Asuka exclaimed, much to Shinji's dismay. She always did have a knack for making him feel even dumber when it came to math.

"Here's what you have to do," Asuka said. She began to explain the process of solving the problems while writing down basic steps and shortcuts.

Shinji listened carefully while Asuka explained the math problem and how to solve it. It was strange how it all made sense while Asuka explained it, as if it couldn't be more obvious.

He watched her hand is it wrote down some notes, and listened closely to the sound of her voice. As she continued, Shinji found himself focusing on her more than the math she was explaining.

In order to show him how to solve the problem, Asuka was leaning over his shoulder, close enough so that he could feel the warmth coming from her body. It was faint, but enough for Shinji to feel it tingle on his skin.

Along with her warmth came her scent. In all their time living together, Shinji didn't know how Asuka managed to smell so good. One would assume it was perfume of some kind, but Shinji had never seen her ever use it. He could only assume it was the expensive foreign soaps and shampoos she used.

Whatever it was, it gave her a very distinct scent that he would recognize anywhere. It was sweet, and flowery. Strong, yet subtle; it filled his nose without overpowering his senses. Despite her traditionally fiery personality, this scent didn't make him remember any of her wrath. It only brought with it a relaxing calm.

"And that's why women's breasts are larger today than they were fifteen years ago," Asuka said suddenly.

"Huh?" Shinji asked, confused. He wasn't quite sure what he had just heard.

"You're not even paying attention, are you?" Asuka asked, sounding frustrated.

"What? I'm paying attention!" Shinji said defensively.

"Oh really?" Asuka asked quizzically. she looked Shinji in the eye, trying to make him break. "Then what was the last thing I said?"

Shinji panicked. He had absolutely no idea what Asuka had last said, and glancing down at his notebook, he had zoned out quite a while ago.

"Uh..." Shinji dragged his mumble as long as he could while trying to decipher the last line on the notebook.

"Here," Asuka said, "I'll give you a hint." She got up and waited for Shinji to look at her. When she had his attention she bent her arms so her forearms were pressing her breasts at their sides and pressed them together a few times, causing them to shake slightly.

Shinji stared as Asuka playfully pressed her breasts together, and left the temperature in his face increase. This wasn't the first time she had teased him like this, but that didn't make this any less impactful on him.

Asuka's breasts were already generous for someone her age, and the act of pressing them together only made that more apparent. As her flesh swelled, her cleavage deepened, and Shinji was letting his eyes get lost in there.

"I'm home!" Misato called as she entered her apartment. She had been thinking about how to approach Asuka about another activation test her entire drive home, and still wasn't sure how to even bring it up, except as strictly business as her commanding officer.

She was deliberating on whether or not to take that approach when she looked up after taking off her shoes to see something she could never be prepared to see.

There before her, was Asuka, standing in front of Shinji while pressing her breasts together and him staring at them blankly.

"What on Earth!" Misato screamed.

Shinji was shocked out of his staring at the sound of Misato screaming and sprang out of his chair. He turned to Face the direction of his guardian and commanding officer and stood straight at attention.

"Ma'am!" he exclaimed, sure his face was as red as it felt.

Asuka was also taken by surprise, having focused on Shinji's response to her teasing. It was a marked improvement from the last time she had teased him with her chest and that pleased her, oddly enough. She didn't like the idea of perverts staring at her body the way Shinji just had been, but it being Shinji, something about having that effect on him was nice. That was a distant memory now, having been taken by surprise by Misato.

"Misato!" Asuka said, surprised. "You're home early!"

"Not early enough, it seems," Misato said ominously. Her left eye had taken to twitching again, much like it always did when she caught her roommates in rather disturbing circumstances. She had always wanted them to get along together, just not like this.

So, would either of you care to explain just what the Hell is going on?" She asked.

Shinji didn't move a muscle, and remained with his eyes staring intently at the ceiling. "A... Asuka was helping me with my math homework!" He said.

_Right, and that really involves what I just walked in on? _Misato thought to herself. She glanced over at Asuka, whom didn't add anything.

"Math homework, huh?" She asked.

"Yes, ma'am" Shinji answered.

"Yeah, I can see that," Misato said, glancing down from Shinji's face towards his groin. An all too obvious reaction to what Shinji had been staring at was still present.

Asuka followed Misato's eyes from Shinji's face and down his body. When she saw what Misato was talking about she felt her face become flushed and looked away.

Shinji wondered what was going on and looked down. He was horrified at realizing what his two roommates had seen, and immediately tried to hide it.

Under better circumstance, Misato wouldn't have thought anything of it, much like when Shinji obliviously ran out of the bathroom naked after seeing Pen-Pen for the first time. This, however, was not a lighthearted situation.

Misato didn't really have time to dig any deeper; not on top what she already had on plate. She would have to keep a closer eye on things, and make sure Shinji and Asuka weren't doing anything that could affect them negatively.

"Just tell me if there's anything going on," Misato said firmly. "Anything at all."

Shinji and Asuka looked at each other. It was clear by the looks they were giving, they both wanted the other to answer, and were full of confusion and wonder. Finally, Asuka broke the silence.

"Nothing is going on, Misato," she said plainly. _Nothing._ She thought to herself, not sure how she felt about that answer, especially if it was true, and what it might indicate. She looked over at Shinji, who seemed content with staring at the ground.

"Alright," Misato said, deciding to just accept the answer. She held her hands up to stop any further discussion and walked past the two teens. "I'm going to take a much needed bath."

As Misato closed the door to her room, the two teenagers remained standing in the dining room where they had just been interrogated. There was an unsettling silence in the room as they both stared blankly, but not at each other.

Asuka looked at Shinji once more, who was still looking down at the ground with an unreadable face. Unable to come up with what to say, she decided it was best to avoid the subjects swirling in her mind.

"We'd better get back to your assignment," she said.

Shinji looked up finally and sighed. "Yeah," he agreed, although his eyes looked disappointed about something.

**- x -**

"Those kids," Misato mumbled while sinking into her hot bath. She couldn't wrap her mind around what was going on between those two. At times they seemed so happy together, and the next at war. Most of the time they were civil, but apart, and other times there's what she just saw.

"I don't remember ever being like that when I was fifteen," she said to herself. She tried to remember what it was like to be that young, but those were different times in more ways than one.

_That's right. _Misato started to remember when she was fifteen. _That was when the second impact happened. I don't have memories of being that old._

"Still," I guess it's better than them hating each other," she smiled slightly, remembering how volatile those two could be at times.

_Now all I have to worry about is Asuka's activation test... if she'll even do one._ Misato thought to herself and frowned. She wasn't sure how Asuka would react to another test, and her refusal could mean the end of her piloting days.

Misato sighed and sank even deeper into her bath, nearly submerging entirely.

_Every time it looks like we're moving towards stability, someone comes along and knocks us off our course._

**- x -**

At last, Shinji had finished his math homework. It took a lot of tutelage, along with a fair amount of criticism, from Asuka, but he finally had it finished, and was actually confident in his knowledge of the material.

"Not bad, Third Child," Asuka said in what may have been mock praise.

Asuka was looking over Shinji's work, making sure there were no mistakes. She was pleased to see that he had finished all of the problems without any. _Looks like I can beat something into that head of his after all. _

Shinji frowned inside when he heard Asuka refer to him as the third child. There was nothing negative about it, but it always felt strange, and mildly degenerative when she did so. It was formal, and cold.

Asuka didn't notice Shinji's discomfort with the way she referred to him. She was too absorbed in how proud she was in herself when her stomach suddenly growled. She glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already 7PM, and no one had even started to prepare something to eat for dinner.

Shinji couldn't help but notice the loud grown that came from Asuka's stomach, and as if agreeing with her, his own stomach began to rumble as well.

"It's later than I thought," Asuka said while putting down Shinji's notebook.

"Yeah," Shinji agreed. He got up from the dining table and started to gather his school books to put them away. "I'll get started on something," he said.

Asuka watched Shinji but his school things away and crossed her arms in thought. It didn't really seem fair to expect Shinji to cook dinner again, especially after finishing his school work so late. Then there was the issue of Misato. After what just happened, the idea of eating a meal with her tonight was rather unappealing.

"Hey, Shinji," Asuka said while he got back from putting his things away.

"Hmm? Yes Asuka?" Shinji asked. He had just started to put on an apron.

"Why don't we go out and get something to eat instead?" she asked. Despite the direct approach to asking, Asuka wasn't looking at him. She was nervously rubbing her left arm while bashfully looking away.

"What?" Shinji asked, sounding more surprised than he wanted to let on.

Asuka didn't like having to repeat herself, so she was annoyed that Shinji didn't seem to hear her the first time.

"What, are you stupid?" She asked, more insulting than really asking. "I said, let's go get out to something to eat."

"Oh," Shinji replied. "There's no need for that," he said. He was perfectly fine with cooking like he always did, especially since Asuka helped him with his homework. It was the least he could do.

_What an idiot! _Asuka thought to herself. _I can't believe he'd say no... Doesn't he want to go out instead of cook for once?_ Asuka thought about Shinji's insistence on cooking and frowned. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was her that he didn't want to go out with. _Maybe he just doesn't want to be seen with me outside of school._

"I see," Asuka said. She watched Shinji start to get out the rice cooker. He seemed completely oblivious to her unhappiness, and that only made her angry. _No, that's not good enough!_ She thought to herself.

With that, she grabbed Shinji by the collar and dragged him out of the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Shinji cried while trying to stop himself from falling.

"We're getting out of here," Asuka declared. She had dragged Shinji all of the way to the front door and was sliding her shoes on when the boy spoke up.

"Wait," Shinji pleaded. "Wait, Asuka!"

Asuka was feeling her patience slip, and was about ready to give Shinji a good punch. She didn't know why, but something about punching him really made her think it'd be satisfying, like it would knock some sense into him.

"What is it?" Asuka asked, irritation clearly reaching a fever pitch.

Shinji reeled back at her behavior, and prepared for her usual physical response, but it never came. When he felt the coast was clear, he spoke up.

"You're not really planning on going out like that, are you?" He asked.

"Huh?" Asuka looked down at herself and suddenly realized she was dressed in her home lounging clothes. She would have been embarrassed to go outside dressed like that. "Oh!" She exclaimed. She suddenly released Shinji, causing him to fall. "I'll just go change into something," she said, not even noticing her roommate on the ground.

Shinji groaned as he got up off the ground, and was amazed to see that Asuka had already vanished into her room by the time he was up.

_Geez, she's fast. _He thought to himself. Shinji brushed himself off and put on his shoes. He didn't need to change since he was still in his school clothes.

_She'll probably be a while, _Shinji thought to himself while stretching.

"I'm ready!" Asuka announced from behind Shinji, taking him by complete surprise.

Shinji leapt into the air. He felt an ice cold chill run down his spine and cried out in surprise.

"Asuka!" Shinji said, still trying to catch his breath. "How'd you do that so fast?"

"Do what?" Asuka asked.

Shinji looked Asuka over, still amazed that she changed so quickly. He didn't think he'd even be able to get to his room in the amount of time she had just changed. She was dressed in a red dress Shinji hadn't seen before. It was a simple dress, much like her usual yellow sun dress, but was much more vibrant in color. Like all things red though, Shinji couldn't help but admire how it looked on her.

Asuka could feel Shinji's eyes on her, and blushed slightly. She couldn't recall him ever looking at her like that, at least not deliberately. It was then that she finally noticed what Shinji was wearing, his same plain school uniform. Asuka visibly groaned.

"What's wrong Asuka?" Shinji asked.

_Ugh, after all the trouble I went through, _Asuka thought to herself. Still, she didn't want to waste anymore time. She was hungry enough.

"Nothing," she said. "Let's just go."

Shinji didn't have time to investigate further as Asuka grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the apartment.

"Hey, wait!" Shinji protested.

Asuka ignored his pleas and closed the door behind them.

Just as the two teens were leaving, Misato exited the bathroom with her towel wrapped around her body. She saw them leave together, holding hands, and the slightest flash of what Asuka was wearing.

"Nothing, huh?" Misato asked no one in particular.

Beneath Misato, a penguin exited the bathroom with a towel on his shoulders. Pen-Pen glanced to where Shinji and Asuka had just been and squawked.

**- x -**

Ritsuko stood alone in the large empty office of Commander Ikari while he looked over a report she had just given him.

She had spent the last two weeks examining the data of the last synchronization tests with Maya and the rest of the team, trying to figure out what had caused the problems. Numerous theories and ideas with conflicting evidence were tossed around, and in the end, they couldn't settle on something unanimously. There was one that seemed the most possible, however, and her report detailed it.

"Are these conclusions for certain," the commander asked. He had expected as much, but the report didn't make it clear, and he had to be sure if he was to plan accordingly.

"No, sir," Ritsuko admitted. "There isn't enough data to do anything beyond speculation, but the Magi all agree that this is the most likely conclusion.

"I see," the commander said in contemplation.

"If this is true, how do we counter it?" Another man, sub commander Fuyutsuki asked.

Sub-commander Fuyutsuki stood where he usually did, just behind the commander, also looking over the report. He was troubled by what he saw, but remained as collected as he always did.

"We're not sure," Ritsuko admitted. "We've never been attacked like this before, and still aren't sure how it was possible."

"Order another test," Gendo ordered. "I want everything monitored for the slightest sign of this attack," he added.

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko said.

"And what of the second child's activation test?" Gendo asked, moving onto another subject.

"The Major is currently scheduling another activation test with the pilot," Ritsuko answered.

"Very good," the commander said. "I want her test monitored for this attack as well. We can't take any chances until Unit-03 is completed."

"Yes sir," Ritsuko said.

"You are dismissed."

Ritsuko bowed and exited the office, relieved that it was over. She hated these long nights at headquarters, and had just gone through too many in a week examining the data they had involving the attacks that occurred during the last synchronization tests.

Fuyutsuki waited until the doctor had left before speaking.

"What do you think this means?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Gendo replied, continuing to look forward like he always did when seated. "But if these theories prove true, we have little time left."

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:4**

**- Unexpected Night -**

Shinji and Asuka walked in silence through the busy streets of Tokyo-3. The two teenagers weaved through a crowd of people, Asuka leading Shinji by his hand.

Because of the extensive damage to entire sections of the city, the areas of commerce that were intact were busier than ever. In particular, the area closest to where the two lived was already one of the busiest, meaning it was now almost unbearable at peak times.

Shinji was struggling to keep up with Asuka, even with the vice like grip she had on his hand. The crowd of people seemed to thicken as they continued to walk, making it harder and harder to keep moving.

"Hey, Asuka," Shinji said weakly. "Wait up!"

Asuka didn't stop, instead pulling on Shinji's hand even harder and walking faster than before. She pushed her way through the crowd, not really sure where she was going. She was so determined to keep moving through the crowd, she had forgotten why they were out in the first place.

Shinji, on the other hand, hadn't forgotten how hungry he was, and his stomach was starting to growl again, louder than before.

"Asuka!" Shinji called, louder this time. He pulled back on his hand, prompting her to stop finally.

"What is it!" Asuka asked, a little agitated.

Shinji gasped for air and was relieved to finally get a chance to rest for a moment.

"Where are we going?" He asked. They had been walking aimlessly for nearly half an hour.

"I don't know," Asuka admitted. "I'm just a girl," she said. "You're the one that's supposed to pick a place to take me to eat!"

"My job?" Shinji asked. "Take you to eat?" _This was your idea in the first place! _He thought to himself, but knew better than to say that out loud.

Asuka tightened her grip on Shinji's hand, eliciting a cry of pain. "That's right," she said, the slightest hint of a threat in her tone.

Shinji picked up on the implied threat, and decided it was best to just accept his fate. He took a look around where they were, trying to pick out some place to eat.

_I wonder what kind of food she'd even like to eat? _He wondered. _It'd be silly to get something we'd eat at home._

Shinji had to admit, his experience with foreign food was very limited, despite the fact that Tokyo-3 was very diverse in terms of different cultures. Whenever he ate out with his friends, they just got noodles at a street side shop, or meat pastries.

_Somehow, I doubt Asuka would appreciate that., _Shinji thought to himself, immediately checking those options off the list. Strangely, he wasn't feeling like those either. This occasion felt special, even though he wasn't sure what it even was. He decided it was as good a time as any to try something new and upscale.

"How about there?" He asked, pointing towards an Italian restaurant across the street.

Asuka looked over to where Shinji was pointing and saw the place. It looked like your typical mid grade Italian restaurant; phony atmosphere, and predictable decor. That didn't bother Asuka, however, as she was used to seeing that kind of treatment of foreign "culture" in restaurants. She had experienced the same thing in Germany and the United States.

"Well, you're just full of surprises, Third Child," Asuka said. "I was half expecting you to pick someplace Japanese."

Shinji laughed slightly at Asuka's comment, because it was ironically correct.

"It's not often we go out," Shinji said. "I don't want to eat the same old boring thing. It would be a waste of a night."

Asuka couldn't help but blush at what Shinji said. She was trying not to make a big deal out of going out to dinner, but it was nice to know Shinji felt at least a little like it was special.

"Alright, let's go," Asuka said, loosening her grip on Shinji's hand, but still pulling him firmly while she navigated the dense crowd of people. "Hopefully the wait won't be too long, I'm starving."

Shinji agreed while he followed Asuka through the crowd. Even on a Tuesday, at this time of night the streets were packed with people, and all of the restaurants were sure to have a lot of business for dinner still.

When they got to the restaurant, Asuka finally stopped her relentless pace and released Shinji's hand at the door. Shinji looked over at Asuka, wondering why she hadn't gone in, since there was no one in front of them.

"Uh..." Shinji was about to ask Asuka what was going on. _Maybe she changed her mind?_ He wondered.

"Well?" Asuka asked, sounding impatient. She had started tapping her foot and her arms were now crossed over her chest.

"What?" Shinji asked quietly, not sure what was wrong. He rubbed the back of his head and observed her body language. _Why is she getting mad?_ He wondered to himself. _Am I supposed to do something?_

Shinji started to panic, not sure what exactly was going on. He wasn't used to going out alone with a girl, let alone Asuka. He'd only done it under awkward circumstances, like when they were training for that synchronized fighting strategy against one of the angels. Plus, this was Asuka. Shinji could tell she was about to hit atomic on her scale if he didn't do something soon, and it had to be right.

_Maybe we should just go in. _Shinji gulped and opened the door, hoping he wasn't about to incur his roommate's wrath.

Asuka waited while Shinji opened the door and smiled when he held it open, waiting for her to go first. She smiled and brushed her hair to the side while she entered.

"That's more like it," she said.

Shinji let out a sigh of relief as Asuka walked in. _Oh, thank God!_ He thought. He followed Asuka in and joined her at the host's podium.

No one was standing at the host's podium, so the two waited while taking a look around. Asuka was right, the restaurant was decorated much as she expected. Faint beige walls with hardwood floors. There were fake grapevines spread throughout the rooms as well as small wine bottle holders to give the atmosphere of being on a vineyard.

Shinji was a little overwhelmed by the decor of the restaurant. He was so used to the high tech design of Tokoy-3, it was strange to see a place designed to look so old.

_Wow, I wonder if Italy really looks like this? _He thought. He had lived his entire life in Japan, and had never even looked at photos of the rest of the world.

Finally, a young woman walked up to the podium and smiled at the two waiting teenagers.

Much like the restaurant, she was not Japanese, although Asuka wasn't sure if she was Italian either. She had fair skin and dark brown, nearly black hair. Her features were definitely pure European. She looked to be no older than her mid twenties, much like Misato. She was dressed in a sleeveless black dress that hugged her curvy figure nicely and cut off just above the knees.

"Good evening," she said in greeting, a strange accent making the Japanese a little hard to understand. "Table for two?" she asked.

"Yes, please," Shinji answered.

The hostess took a moment to look over the seating availability and marked something before picking up two menus.

"Right this way," she said.

The two followed the hostess to a table and took a seat. Asuka was slightly disappointed when Shinji didn't hold out her seat for her, but decided to let him off easy, this time.

"Your waiter will be with you shortly," the hostess said with a smile.

"Thank you," Shinji replied.

The hostess bowed to the couple, and Asuka couldn't help but notice how the act showed off her cleavage. She glanced at Shinji through the corner of her eye and saw Shinji smiling stupidly towards the hostess. _Why that pervert! _She cursed in her mind. She felt her hand reflex into a fist, but managed to not swing at him.

"She certainly was nice," Shinji said innocently. He turned back towards Asuka and froze when he saw the restrained anger on her face. "Asuka?"

"Oh, I'm sure you just loved how nice she was," Asuka said mockingly.

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked. Asuka's eye had started to twitch, just like Misato's did when she was about to burst, and that scared him.

"Don't play stupid with me!" Asuka said, nearly shouting. "I saw the way you were looking at her!"

"What are you talking about?" Shinji asked defensively. He had no idea what Asuka meant, he wasn't looking at the hostess in any way worth mentioning.

"Oh, so you don't remember smiling like an idiot at the sight of her bending forward?" Asuka asked, still in a mocking tone. To accentuate her point, she pushed up her chest a little.

Shinji's eyes bugged out at the sight of Asuka doing that, and at the mental shock to what she was implying.

"What? No way!" Shinji said, also nearly shouting."I wasn't looking at that!"

"Oh really?" Asuka asked, not believing him. _Does he think I'm blind?_

"Of course not!" Shinji said. "Why would I want to look at anyone else when I'm with you?"

"Oh, don't get any funny ideas!" Asuka shouted. She didn't know why she said it. It was like it came out reflexively.

"Don't worry, I won't!" Shinji assured her. _Man, she is bitchy! _He thought.

"Good evening," a woman suddenly said.

Asuka and Shinji didn't acknowledge the woman's presence, and remained staring each other down, although they had fallen silent.

"I'll be your waiter tonight," the woman continued, not letting their silence bother her. "May I get you started with something to drink?"

"Water," they both said in unison. They both sounded rather upset when they said it.

**- x -**

Rei stared into the glass of water on her desk. She had been preparing to take her medication; or rather what passed as her evening meal to sustain her.

_This has been my entire life,_ she thought to herself while peering into the glass. She could see her reflection in the water, looking back at her with cold red eyes. _It has been all of my lives. Every single one. It will be the lives of those that follow me._

Rei thought about her memories. They were memories she knew weren't hers, and yet they brought out feelings from deep within. These memories would continue onto the next one to replace her, and her own would be added. They would experience the same confusion she was facing now, possibly even more so.

_These aren't mine. _Rei tried to block out the memories. The faces, the events, the feelings. All of it belonged to someone else. _Why should I continue this path? She wasn't meant to want anything!_

Rei looked into the water once again, now seeing sadness in those red eyes looking back at her. She looked over to the pills on the desk and felt something burning deep in her stomach, but it wasn't hunger, at least not for food. She felt a strong desire for something fulfilling.

_So why do I want something? _She wondered. _Why do I want more?_

**- x -**

Shinji and Asuka hadn't spoken after getting their drinks, and now they were eating their meals. Asuka had opted for some kind of pasta that Shinji had never heard of before, but she sounded like she knew what she was talking about when she asked for gnocchi. Interesting enough, she opted for something vegetarian for once. Whenever Shinji saw Asuka eating out, she always got as much meat as possible. Especially if it wasn't Japanese food.

Shinji sighed and his thoughts lingered on that. _Maybe I should learn to cook more non-Japanese meat dishes._ He wondered to himself. He glanced up to watch Asuka take a bite of her pasta. She was deliberately not looking at him, and had an angry scowl on her face still.

At this sight, Shinji scowled himself. _Yeah right! Like I need to do that for her! _He changed his mind suddenly. Shinji decided to focus his attention elsewhere, and proceeded to eat his linguini in white wine sauce at a rather feverish pace.

Asuka noticed Shinji's behavior and squinted her eyes in contemplation. _I wonder what the idiot is thinking now? _ She wondered. _Probably something stupid! _She continued to ponder her roommate white eating her pasta with small deliberate bites.

_He certainly seems content in not looking at me like he looked at that hostess. _She thought to herself. She glanced over to peek at the hostess from the corner of her eye and growled in her looked back at Shinji and growled even more in her mind at the sight of him eating with that scowl on his face. _Oh please, like I care who he looks at! _Asuka suddenly matched Shinji's frenzied pace at consuming her food.

The two continued to eat in relative silence, both doing their best to ignore the other. To anyone passing by, it would look as if they were your typical teenage couple after having an argument, but their situation was anything but typical.

_Stupid Shinji!_ Asuka thought while chomping on her gnocchi.

_Selfish Asuka! _Shinji thought while chewing his linguini.

_He can look at whoever he wants! I don't care! _Asuka began to take bigger bites.

_It's always 'Me! Me! Me!'" _Shinji began to shove larger quantities of pasta in his mouth with each bite.

_After I go through all the trouble to look good for him!_

_After I spend so much time cooking for her!_

_I even help him with his homework!_

_I even help carry her books for her!_

_Stupid Shinji!_

_Selfish Asuka!_

_Stupid, perverted, idiot Shinji!_

_Stupid, selfish, hot headed Asuka!_

_That does it!_

_I've had enough!_

The two suddenly stoop up from their seats and planted their hands on the table to glare at each other.

"You've got some nerve, you know that!" They accosted each other simultaneously.

"What?" Shinji asked.

"Huh?" Asuka asked.

"Me!" They asked in unison. They both looked surprised that the other had the nerve to even say that to them.

"You're the one gawking at that hostess!" Asuka accused.

"What? You're crazy!" Shinji said. "Maybe if you thought about others for once, you'd see I was just being polite!"

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Asuka said, mocking him. "Like your intentions aren't about yourself!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shinji asked, not quite as angry as before.

"Don't play coy with me," Asuka laughed. "I bet you were thinking doing all these nice things for me would get you a kiss."

Shinji blushed slightly at the thought, but quickly disregarded the comment with his own laugh. "You can't be serious," he said. "I'm just doing this because you're such a cry baby!"

"I'm a cry baby?" Asuka asked, disbelief in her voice. "Ha! We both know you're the cry baby!"

"You could have fooled me the past month," Shinji said.

Asuka's anger suddenly cooled and was replaced with something Shinji couldn't quite identify. Whatever it was, he had crossed a line.

Asuka didn't know what to say anymore, or even why they she was arguing with him. She suddenly remembered the past month in a flash; all the pain she went through, and all the things Shinji had done to help her through it.

_This is wrong... _She thought to herself. She no longer felt any anger, but instead fear, but she didn't know why. She felt she had to do something, because she was afraid of what Shinji might think of her now. _This is all wrong!_

"Asuka?" Shinji tried to get her attention. He had lost all of the anger he had been feeling and was now worried about what his roommate may have been thinking.

_Oh no!_ He thought to himself. _What have I done?_

Asuka didn't know what to do. She wasn't even sure how she felt about what was happening. She was confused about how she felt about the events since waking from her coma, and even more so about Shinji's actions.

Shinji recognized that look on Asuka's face now. He had seen it so many times since she woke from her coma. She was on the brink, teetering on the edge, about to regress back into her shell. At was at these times, Shinji knew it was crucial he do something, but was also the most helpless.

_I've done it again!_ Asuka thought to herself. She felt her confusion slowly turning to sadness. _I've pushed him away, just like I always do!_ Asuka could feel her body start to quiver, struggling to fight back the tears welling in her eyes.

Shinji noticed all of this, and suddenly felt moved by something deep within. He raised his arms and put his hands on her shoulders, holding them firmly, but gently.

"Asuka," he said, completely drained of the anger he had been filled with just a moment ago. His voice was concerned, and sincere. "I'm sorry," he said.

Asuka looked into Shinji's eyes. She had always found it annoying how much he apologized for everything, but this time was different. He wasn't saying it out of a defensive reflex, or to avoid a conflict. She could sense that he really meant it this time.

"Shinji..." Asuka wanted to say something, but she couldn't put her thoughts into words.

"It's ok," Shinji assured her. He slid his hands down Asuka's arms, causing her to feel chills run down her back while her face flushed. He took her hands in his and smiled. "I didn't mean what I said. It was stupid."

Shinji laughed half heartedly to try to lighten the mood. Asuka was still blushing when she joined him in the forced laughter.

"Yeah, it sure was stupid," she agreed.

Shinji laughed again, although it was more forced than before. _I wonder if she means the argument, or just me._ He wondered, but decided it wasn't important. For now, the disaster appeared to have been avoided.

"Oh!" a woman's voice said in surprise. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"

"Huh?" they both asked together, although neither was directing the question towards the woman. They looked over to see their waitress standing at their table, looking at them with her hand over her mouth. They then looked down at how they were holding their hands and released them in surprise.

"Ah!" Shinji said, not even sure how that had happened.

"No, not at all!" Asuka said. She could feel her face flushing more than before. "We were just, uh," she took a moment to think, "palm reading!"

Shinji choked on his own breath at hearing Asuka's attempt at an excuse. _Palm reading! Oh man, that's the lamest excuse she could have possibly thought of._

"Oh!" the waitress said, although she sounded like she was just trying to be polite. "Well, did your palm readings reveal anything about dessert?" she asked.

"Dessert?" Shinji thought it was a bit early for dessert and looked down at the table. To his amazement, both of their dishes had been picked clean.

"Yes! Dessert would be good!" Asuka said, still flushed, and not thinking clearly. "I'll take one!"

The waitress laughed sweetly. "One what, miss?" she asked. "We have a full selection of cakes, ice creams, and other sweet treats."

"They all sound good," Asuka said, laughing. She sounded like she wasn't thinking clearly. "One of each!"

Shinji choked again and felt like his wallet just imploded in his pocket. He knew how expensive desserts were, and there was no way he could afford one of each, even with his NERV credit card. He pictured himself cleaning dishes for an eternity to pay off his debt.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he pleaded. "Shouldn't you look at the menu and decide on just one?"

Asuka looked over to Shinji and thought about what he was saying. She suddenly envisioned their table covered in plates of cake slices and was wondering just what she was thinking ordering one of each. "Oh, silly me," she said, laughing. "I'd like to see a dessert menu, please."

"Here you are," the waitress said while handing Asuka a small menu. "I'll be back shortly to take your order," she said while gathering their plates and utensils.

Shinji exhaled in relief. _Thank God!_

**- x -**

Misato stared blankly at the television while she flipped channels, not searching for anything in particular. She had finished her instant ramen long ago, and was now nursing a flat beer on the couch. Pen-pen was lying on his back across her lap, enjoying a tummy rub.

_They sure have been gone a while,_ Misato thought to herself. She glanced over to look at the clock. It read 9:20 PM.

Pen-pen stirred when Misato stopped rubbing his stomach and glanced over towards the clock as well. He then looked up at Misato, who seemed lost in thought, and squawked.

"Hmm?" Misato looked down at her penguin, seeing it looking at her with expectant eyes. "Oh, sorry, Pen-pen," she said, continuing the tummy rub. "I'm just wondering what's keeping Shinji and Asuka."

Pen-pen did not respond, and simply chirped happily while Misato rubbed him in all the right spots.

Misato laughed more at herself than anything else. "You're right, Pen-pen," she said. "I shouldn't worry about them." Misato rubbed the penguin's stomach more firmly, eliciting a cheerful hum while it squirmed under her touch. She looked back at the clock and smiled.

_Maybe they're having a good time for once. _She wondered.

**- x -**

Shinji sat in silent contemplation while Asuka ate her dessert. It took some deliberation, but she finally settled on German chocolate cake, remarking that it had been forever since she had something from her homeland.

_I never realized it, _Shinji thought, _but it really has been a long time since Asuka moved here._

Shinji looked at his fiery roommate and thought about when he first laid eyes on her. Back then, he thought nothing special about her one way or the other, even after getting slapped for an act of nature, and seeing her personality first hand. Since then, things between him and her had gone through a rough ride, with few bright spots. He didn't even know when he started to think of her as anything, but that self centered, mean, show off.

_I wonder what changed? _He thought to himself.

He watched her take another bite of her cake, focusing on her face. She looked genuinely happy for once, completely oblivious to the world around her. He couldn't recall ever seeing her like that. In that moment, her face looked so innocent. Her eyes seemed to twinkle with a spark of life that was different from their usual fire. Shinji couldn't help but be drawn in by those eyes.

Asuka sighed in contentment as she took a small bite of her cake. She couldn't remember the last time she had German chocolate cake, and this restaurant did a fine job duplicating it. The cake's outer layer of chocolate was a firm hardened dark chocolate, while the inside was a soft white chocolate and chocolate mousse. Each bite was full of richness she hadn't experienced since coming to Japan, and having it now was truly fulfilling.

_I should have treats like this more often, _Asuka thought to herself while she let a bite linger on her tongue.

She looked over at Shinji, who was sitting there patiently waiting for her to finish. She noticed he had this strange look on his face. It looked like his thoughts were a million miles away, but he wasn't day dreaming. His face looked calm, and happy; something Asuka had never seen from Shinji before, not that she paid attention to him or anything.

_I wonder what he's thinking?_

Shinji suddenly realized Asuka was looking back at him, with a sort of quizzical look on her face.

"What is it?" he asked. He wondered if there was something wrong.

"Hmm?"Asuka asked with her fork in her mouth.

"You looked like you wanted to ask something," he said.

"I did?" Asuka thought to herself for a moment. She had been wondering what Shinji was thinking just then, but didn't think that asking would really get an answer. In truth, she was happy with the way things were, and didn't want them to change, at least for the moment. Instead, she took a piece of her cake and held it towards Shinji.

"Try some," she said and smiled.

"Oh," Shinji looked at the piece offered to him and then at Asuka. She had the sweetest smile, unlike any he had seen her give before. This one wasn't full of pride or mischievous delight. It was sincere, and cheerful.

"Thank you," he said. He took the fork from Asuka's hand and ate the piece of cake. It was richer than he imagined, completely dominating his senses. He thought he had had sweets before, but this cake was above and beyond them all, introducing him to a level of enjoyment from food he didn't know was possible.

_Wow, this is really good! _Shinji thought to himself. He looked at Asuka to return the fork, and was surprised to see that her smile was gone. Asuka's face now looked annoyed, like it usually did when Shinji did something wrong.

_That idiot! _Asuka thought to herself. She couldn't believe he took the fork from her hand. _Doesn't he know how to act when a girl offers him a bite of her food?_

_What did I do? _Shinji asked himself. _She was so happy just a second ago, but now it looks like she's ready to hit me._

Asuka took the fork and shoveled a large bite into her mouth. _Last time I offer him anything! _She told herself while chewing her cake a little harder than was necessary.

Shinji sighed. The vision of happiness he had just glimpsed had disappeared so abruptly. He wondered if it had even existed at all, and wasn't just him imagining things.

Asuka finished her cake and put down her fork with a clang. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. The waitress appeared and smiled sweetly at the two while taking up the plate.

"Did you enjoy your dessert?" she asked.

"More or less," Asuka said without looking at the waitress.

Shinji smiled at the waitress, feeling sorry for her having to get stuck in the crossfire. He knew that this evening had to have been rough on her, yet she didn't show any signs of it getting her down.

The waitress smiled back at Shinji and handed him a small booklet containing the check. Shinji opened the booklet and felt his body go a little cold.

_Wow, eating like this sure is expensive, _he thought while he got out his wallet. He took out his NERV credit card and placed it in the booklet before handing it back to the waitress.

"Here you go," he said, sounding a little beaten down.

"Thank you, I'll be right back with your receipt," she said.

The two teenagers sat in silence while they waited for the receipt. Asuka still had her arms crossed and was deliberately avoiding looking at Shinji. Shinji sat with his head hung low, feeling drained in more ways than one.

_Humph, just look at that idiot! _Asuka thought to herself while stealing a peek at her roommate. _Someone's not getting a kiss at the end of this._

Asuka suddenly went completely red at realizing what she had just said to herself in her mind.

_What the Hell! _She started to panic. _Why would I even think that!_

Shinji finally collected himself and looked up to see Asuka redder than a tomato. He wondered if something had happened while he was busy feeling sorry for himself.

_Ah, he's looking at me now! _Asuka continued to panic.

"Is something wrong, Asuka?" he asked.

Asuka didn't know what to say. She couldn't think clearly, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Just mind your own business!" she shouted.

Shinji was taken by surprise at her sudden outburst and jumped back in his seat. _Geez, what is it this time? _He asked himself. _She's been acting strange all day._

"There's no need to yell," he said.

Asuka hadn't realized she had, and calmed suddenly. She felt a cold sweat forming on her brow and wiped it with her napkin.

"Sorry," she said, a little embarrassed. "I don't know what came over me."

_Whoa, that's the first time she's ever admitted she's crazy._ Shinji was pretty amazed at Asuka's apology, and her admitting she had lost her temper.

"It's ok," Shinji said, deciding not to pry. He wasn't sure if he could even go another round with her. As far as ups and downs between them, this night had seen more than the past month combined.

The two were silent the rest of their time in the restaurant. After the waitress returned with their receipt, Shinji left her a tip and they left without so much as a word to each other.

By the time they got outside, it was nearly 10 PM. The once crowded streets were now mostly clear, with only small groups of people walking about. The loud chatter was no more, making the teenagers' silence feel that much quieter. To Shinji, it felt like an actual divide between them.

Shinji and Asuka joined the thinning crowd, starting their walk home. They passed through the commercial district without incident, and now the only sounds that could be heard were their footsteps as they neared their apartment. They were now walking along the river side sidewalk they usually passed on their way to school.

Asuka suddenly stopped, prompting Shinji to do the same. Her face looked as if she was lost in thought, and confused over something.

"Hey, Shinji," she said softly.

"Hmm?" Shinji asked, he had barely heard her.

"Thanks for tonight, " she said. "I had a really good time."

Asuka looked up and gave Shinji a smile. It was the same smile he had seen back at the restaurant while she was eating her cake, and again, Shinji found himself being drawn in by her eyes.

"Asuka..." Shinji was thinking of what to say when a familiar voice suddenly shouted towards them from across the street.

"Hey, look!" Hikari shouted. "It's Asuka and Shinji!"

They two looked across the street to see Hikari and Toji waving towards them. They waved back while the couple crossed the street.

"Hey guys," Shinji said, completely forgetting about what had just happened.

"How nice to run into you like this," Hikari said cheerfully.

Toji gave Shinji a knowing look, although he wasn't sure why. He seemed to be implying something.

"Are you on your way home from a date?" Hikari asked.

Asuka went beat red and suddenly pushed Shinji away. "What? Don't be stupid! We're not on a date!" she shouted, more hysterical than they had ever seen her before.

"Ah!" Shinji cried. His voice was echoing like he was moving away quickly. The three teenagers looked to where Asuka had pushed him to see nothing but the railing on the edge of the walkway overlooking the river. The next thing they heard was a distant splash.

"Oh no, Shinji!" Asuka ran to the railing and looked down to see a ripple in the river.

Toji and Hikari joined Asuka at the railing and saw where Shinji had fallen. The drop to the river was at least fifteen feet.

Asuka started to take off her shoes. She remembered that Shinji didn't know how to swim, so someone had to dive in after him.

"I'm coming, Shinji!" Asuka shouted. She turned to jump over the railing and froze where she was when she saw Toji already leaping over.

The athletic teenager also knew Shinji couldn't swim and jumped right over the railing when he saw where he had fallen. Once in the water, he swam over to Shinji, who was struggling to stay afloat.

"I got ya, buddy," he said when he reached his friend. He wrapped his left arm around Shinji's chest and used his right to help move them towards the shore.

Asuka and Hikari were running down the stairs to the shore as Toji pulled Shinji out of the water. He was coughing roughly, but didn't look hurt from the fall. Toji slapped him a few times on the back to help him cough up the water in his lungs.

"There, you go, Shinji," he said.

"Thanks," Shinji said between coughs.

Asuka paused to catch her breath when she reached the two boys. She didn't know if it was the running, or the thought that Shinji could have just drowned because of her. She was so caught up in everything that she hadn't even put her shoes back on before running down onto the muddy shore.

"Shinji, I'm so sorry," she said, still panting for air.

Shinji was still coughing, but managed to give a weak smile. To everyone's surprise, he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Asuka asked. "You could have just died!"

"Yeah," Shinji agreed. "But I didn't," he continued to laugh.

"I still don't see how this is funny," Asuka said, a little worried that Shinji may have just snapped.

"Well, this will make some story some day," Shinji said.

Toji joined Shinji in laughing, remembering what had happened when he first met his good friend. It wasn't something he's proud to have done, but it's something they laugh about whenever its brought up.

Asuka still didn't get it, and was getting a little frustrated. Here she was, worried half to death, and all Shinji could do was laugh.

"Oh, come on, Asuka," Toji said, although it took some effort because of his laughter. "Everyone's fine, and we have one Hell of a memory for today."

Hikari started to laugh as well, although not as hard as the two boys. Asuka, however, remained silent. She didn't want to remember pushing Shinji over the edge into ice cold water.

_Although... _Asuka thought back to the rest of the evening before this most recent event. _I'll never forget any of that._ While remembering the more pleasant moments of the evening, Asuka started to smile, also joining in the laughter.

The four of them stood there laughing for a moment, until Shinji and Toji both sneezed. The two rubbed their noses and sniffled.

"We'd better get going, before one of us gets sick," Shinji said.

"Yeah," Toji agreed.

**- x -**

Misato awoke suddenly to the sound of the front door closing. She stretched and yawned before rubbing her eyes.

_Must have dozed off,_ she thought.

Misato let out another loud yawn while stretching again and looked over to the entryway of her apartment. To her surprise, there stood her two roommates; one completely soaked, and the other carrying her shoes with mud all over her feet.

"What happened to you two?" Misato asked.

Asuka sighed while Shinji nervously rubbed his head.

"It's a long story," Asuka said.

"I can tell," Misato said while she stood up. She got some towels from the hallway closet and brought them to her roommates.

"Thanks," they both said. They took the towels and started drying themselves.

Asuka finished first, since she only had to do her feet and left for her room. Misato watched her leave, remembering that she had to speak to her about the activation test. Seeing how they looked though, she decided it was better to wait until the morning.

"Thanks Misato," Shinji said. He had finished drying off, and was ready to get in some dry clothes.

"No problem," she said. She took the towel from Shinji and let him leave as well. Misato watched as her second roommate went to his room and closed his door.

"What do you think, Pen-pen?" she asked her warm water pet.

The penguin looked up at Misato and flapped its wings as if to gesture he had no clue what to think.

"I don't have any idea either," Misato said, as if she actually understood the animal. "Those two are a bigger mystery with each passing day."

**- x -**

Asuka flopped onto her bed with a groan. She had changed back into her shorts and tank top, and was ready to pass out.

"What a day," she said out loud to herself.

The red head thought about the evening's events, conveniently forgetting most of the arguing she had done with her roommate. The good times made her smile, and even feel a little flushed.

"For an idiot, Shinji can be a surprise," she said.

Asuka rolled onto her back and looked out the window. She continued to go through the dinner she had just shared with Shinji. She wouldn't it to anyone else, but she had a really good time, and would remember it forever.

**To be continued…**

Author's Notes: Decided to pick this up again. I had actually moved to a new job and city after releasing chapter 3, and didn't have as much free time for quite a while. Also changed the title to what I had originally wanted it to be, and edited the past chapters for easier reading and some more detail and clarification of past events.

Edit: Also just noticed that the site likes to remove what I use to separate sections of each chapter. Making changes so things are easier to read and understand.


	5. 1:5 The Chosen

Misato yawned and slammed her fist on her alarm clock. She had woken up an hour earlier than usual, much to her body's displeasure.

"It's too early..." Misato said to no one in particular.

The purple haired adult rubbed her eyes while Pen-pen looked over. The penguin seemed a little grumpy at being woken up an hour earlier than was expected, and rolled over on its side in Misato's bed.

Misato watched this behavior and sighed, wishing she could join her pet. She let out a loud yawn and stretched her entire body before getting to her feet.

"Can't think about that," she told herself. "You did this for a reason."

Misato resigned herself to her fate and left her room to take a shower. Her two roommates were still fast asleep, as she had planned on. She had woken up early in hopes she could speak to Shinji and Asuka individually, because she needed to discuss a delicate situation.

She wasn't sure which was better to talk to first, but knew it would most likely be Shinji. She wasn't worried about talking to him, since the topic of Eva Unit 02's activation test didn't involve him, but she knew it would affect him.

Then, there was the matter of Asuka. The last test didn't go so well, and resulted in another colossal break down. What was worse, was a failure this time would result in her expulsion from piloting, and most likely an end to her living here.

"And they were just started to finally get along," Misato said, remembering how she'd seen them yesterday. She had seen the two teenagers develop so much the past year, a lot of which was because of each other, although they'd never admit it. This was even truer of the past month since Asuka's recovery from her coma.

"You've come so far," Misato said, as if Asuka could hear her. "You can do it, Asuka."

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:5**

**- The Chosen -**

**By: OmegaGear**

Asuka exited the bathroom after spending her usual hour preparing for school. She was humming to herself, but stopped when she noticed something was off with the apartment.

While she wouldn't say they were a lively bunch in the morning, Asuka couldn't help but feel that the apartment was eerily quiet. There was no sounds of Shinji cooking, nor the squawking of Pen-Pen while he ate his breakfast. There wasn't even any sounds of Misato either ignoring her alarm, or haphazardly getting ready for work.

_That's strange,_ she thought.

Asuka went into her room to put away her bathroom items and returned to the living area. A quick glance confirmed the absence of everything that was typical of a school day morning.

Not only was Shinji not cooking, but he was nowhere in sight, and the kitchen looked like it hadn't been touched at all that morning. Pen-pen was nowhere in sight either, but that could also mean he had finished early, and decided to lounge in his room. What was really bazaar, however, was Misato.

The purple haired adult was sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee. She had her arms crossed and a serious, almost unhappy look on her face. When Asuka arrived at the table, she looked up and visibly sighed.

"Have a seat, Asuka," she said, sounding very serious.

This wasn't like Misato. Even if things were bad, she was usually the one to try to crack a smile out of everyone.

_What is this? _Asuka wondered. _Why does it feel like I'm at a funeral?_

"We need to talk, Asuka," Misato said as the younger girl sat down.

_Oh no, this must be about last night! _Asuka suddenly remembered that neither she, or Shinji had anything to say about last night. _She must have already spoken to Shinji! _ Asuka concluded. _And he's already left the apartment. He must have blurted out everything! That idiot!_

"It's not what you think!" Asuka shouted suddenly. She was imagining the worst, and letting her instincts take over.

"What isn't?" Misato asked. She was surprised at Asuka's sudden outburst, but didn't let it show. She was too focused on the topic she had to discuss for that to happen.

"Last night," Asuka explained. "Me and Shinji... It was nothing!"

"Oh, that," Misato said non-chalantly. "I'm not worried about that."

"You're not?" Asuka was surprised to hear Misato say that, but if she didn't want to talk about what happened last night, then what could be so important, she wondered.

"No, I trust you two to behave," Misato said.

Asuka released the breath she had been holding with a sigh of relief and a hand clenched to her chest. "Then, what do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Misato didn't answer immediately, and instead took a sip of her coffee. She seemed to be thinking for a moment, and finally looked at Asuka, right in the eyes.

"They want you to do another activation test," she said.

As quiet as the room had been, it managed to feel even quieter now. Asuka felt completely numb, and her mind nearly went blank. She had completely forgotten about piloting the past few days, and to suddenly be told of an activation test was like forgetting about your final exams at college.

Misato was expecting this kind of response, but still wasn't prepared for experiencing it firsthand. She knew the subject of piloting would be a tense one with Asuka, but they couldn't avoid it any longer.

"When do they want to do it?" Asuka asked, sounding empty.

"Soon," Misato said. "Today, if possible."

Asuka thought about it for a moment. She didn't want to do it. Unlike last time, she had no confidence now. Not only was she unconfident in her ability to pilot, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to anymore. Still, she knew what the alternative was, and that was a mess of uncertainties.

To not do the test, would most likely forfeit her status as a pilot, and end her affiliation with NERV. Without NERV, she would have no reason to remain in Tokyo-3, and could very well be forced to move back to Germany to live with her father and step-mother.

_There's no way I can let that happen!_ Asuka thought to herself.

"Alright," she said, sounding a little determined. "I'll do it."

**- x -**

"Whoa, really?" Toji opened a shocked eye at Shinji while leaning back in his desk.

The two had been talking with Kensuke while waiting for school to start when Hikari came up and asked about Asuka. It wasn't often that Shinji came to school without her.

"Yeah," Shinji said. "Misato said it would be for the best that I go ahead before Asuka finished in the bathroom. She wanted to talk to her alone about the test."

"Sounds pretty serious," Kensuke said. He wasn't privy to the inside information when it came to piloting, and the others didn't share much, especially recently with so much testing going on to find a pilot for Unit-02.

"Is Asuka going to be alright?" Hikari asked. She looked scared.

Toji looked up at the ceiling and thought back to his activation test of Unit-02. By all accounts, it actually had gone well, and technically he successfully activated the Evangelion, but what happened later was a nightmare he wouldn't wish on anyone.

"What do you think, Shinji?" he asked his fellow pilot, and good friend.

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"About Asuka taking the test? Do you think she's ready?" Toji asked.

Shinji thought about Asuka and the idea of her piloting. The old Asuka, the one he met nearly a year ago, was an amazing pilot. She could synchronize with Unit-02 without a problem, and had unrivaled pride in her abilities.

The Asuka of today still had sparks of pride, and was gaining more and more of her old self, but he wasn't sure if that would translate to piloting her Eva. Truth be told, Shinji didn't know how any of them synchronized; he just knew that they did. For him, it felt like a strange bond with Unit-01. Maybe it was just familiarity, or maybe it was a degree of trust in its ability to protect him. The only basis of comparison he had were the one time he was in Unit-02's cockpit with Asuka, and the alternate pilot test he did in Unit-00.

The experience in Unit-02 was uncomfortable, but more because of Asuka, and having to wear a female plug suit. The added pressure of battle with an angel also kept his mind focused away from how it felt inside. The Unit-00 test, however, Shinji remembered quite well. It felt cold, and alien. He didn't realize it then, but thinking back to it now, it was almost as if the Eva had rejected him.

"Hey, Toji," Shinji spoke to his friend. "How did it feel when you were inside Unit-02?"

"You mean my activation test?" Toji asked, surprised at the question. "Honestly, it's hard to say," he said. Toji didn't like to remember how it felt to be inside that cockpit, but he felt he should tell Shinji, since Asuka was about to attempt another activation test.

"It started off just like Unit-03," he said. "It felt strange, yet comforting," he explained, remembering his other solo experience in an Evangelion, which also ended in disaster. "After we started the test, I did as I was told, and began to synchronize. Then, it was like the Evangelion could sense exactly who I was, and it rejected me."

"Rejected you?" Kensuke asked. "Can the Evas do that?"

"Looks like it," Toji said.

"Hey, uh," Hikari said to get the attention of the boys. "Should you guys really be talking about that kind of stuff?"

Shinji and Toji both blinked at Hikari in surprise. They hadn't really considered the confidenciality of the subject they were discussing, although they could trust Hikari and Kensuke not to say anything to anyone. Hikari was good at keeping secrets. Kensuke was a big mouth, but when it came to the Evangelions, he kept it all in the three stooge triangle.

"Eh, too late now," Toji said. He leaned even further back into his seat.

Shinji took in Toji's words about his test and likened them to his experience in Unit-00. It was starting to look more and more like piloting the Evangelions wasn't just a simple matter of synchronizing with them. Shinji had always felt that Unit-01 accepted him, bonded with him, and the more he trusted in himself and the Evangelion, the easier it was to pilot.

_Right now, Asuka has no trust in herself as a pilot, _Shinji thought to himself. _And she never looked at Unit-02 as anything more than a toy._

"I'm not sure if Asuka's ready to pilot," Shinji admitted. "I'm not really sure how any of us pilot, but I think I'm beginning to understand. I never really gave it much thought, but when I'm in Unit-01, I feel like it accepts me. Maybe the same is with Unit-02 and Asuka."

Toji didn't say anything, but thought about what Shinji had said. He didn't have the experience that the others had, nor had he ever piloted an Evangelion beyond activation. He always knew it would be tough, and maybe even disturbing. He had feared piloting an Evangelion ever since he saw Shinji doing it within the cockpit against the 4th angel. Despite that, and his failures, though, he still attempted NERV's tests, as a candidate for a future unit. He was beginning to wonder if he would form this kind of bond with an Evangelion if he became a full, fledged pilot.

The four sat in silence, oblivious to the red eyed girl glancing at them from the far side of the room. Rei found herself curious about them, but wasn't sure why. She didn't know why she felt any of the things she felt, and only had her fragmented memories of the past Reis to go by.

_Ikari..._ She wondered while observing the boy through the corner of her eye. _I feel this strange feeling when I look at him. Like there was a bond._

Rei was lost in deep thought when she was suddenly shocked out of it by another strange feeling. She felt another presence enter the room, one that brought out more strange feelings. Looking up, she saw that it was Asuka.

_The second child... _Rei thought to herself, identifying the presence she had felt. _How did I know she had arrived without seeing or hearing her?_

The red head had arrived to school on time after getting a ride from Misato. She looked her usual beautiful self, but her fire was all gone. Replacing it was a drained and vacant expression.

No one said anything as Asuka entered the classroom. She walked past the quartet of students that had been talking about her and sat at her desk without so much as a peep.

Shinji got up from his desk and walked over to Asuka's. He didn't know what to say, but was worried how Asuka may have been feeling. When he reached her, she didn't look up to acknowledge him, and remained staring blankly forward with her hands crossed under her chin. It was very much like how Shinji's father sat at his desk.

"Hey, Asuka," Shinji said. He sounded nervous.

Asuka finally looked up from her desk and saw her roommate, and fellow pilot giving her a weak smile. He looked nervous, and worried about something.

"Hey Shinji," she replied plainly.

Shinji couldn't help but notice how lifeless her eyes looked when Asuka looked at him. They had lost their flare of life, and looked almost grey. There was also something else about her that seemed off. Although she was obviously lacking her usual fire and attitude, it was something more obscure that Shinji felt was missing. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was like Asuka was missing her aura. Shinji didn't believe in such things, of course, but he couldn't help but remember Asuka having a much warmer presence when she was around. Now, it felt like she was surrounded by a cold void.

Shinji didn't like it when Asuka was like this. He had been expecting this, but still wasn't ready to see her so cold and dull. Clenching his hand into a fist, he decided he'd try to change how Asuka felt.

"So uh..." He started to say, but was cut off by the red head.

"Can this wait?" Asuka asked. She was staring forward again, her face still giving a vacant expression.

Shinji thought about what to say. He wanted to ask her how she was feeling; how things went with Misato. He wanted to know when the activation test would be. Shinji wanted to press on, but something inside held him back. He didn't know if it was respect for her wishes, or fear of what might happen.

"Okay," he said, trying to sound as calm as possible. "After school then?"

"Fine," Asuka said without stopping her forward stare.

Rei watched the two interact through the corner of her eye, much like she always did. She didn't understand human behavior, but even she could sense something strange about the way those two acted towards each other. It was another mystery left behind by her past self, but Rei didn't know why it would matter to her now.

_This life is my own_, Rei thought. _This past... Should be forgotten._

**- x -**

Misato stood in silence while she watched Unit-02 being loaded onto a platform to be moved to a testing chamber. She reported that Asuka would attempt the activation test today, and so NERV had begun preparations.

Ritsuko was standing next to her reading over some papers. She was surprised to hear Asuka would agree to taking the test so soon. Normally she wouldn't be so concerned, but in light of recent events, there were additional measure the commander wanted them to take.

Ritsuko was to watch for another attack on the pilot during the test, and monitor any possible differences with a real Evangelion, instead of a test plug. In addition, Shinji was to be in Unit-01, prepared for the worst.

The doctor thought about all these precautions. Things were becoming increasingly complicated, and she wasn't sure what she was looking for, or what to do in response. As was becoming the norm, they were all playing it by ear. They all thought things would become simpler after the defeat of the 17th, and 'last' angel, but the opposite had happened instead. To make matters worse, Gendo Ikari seemed intent on continuing his plans on their current course.

Ritsuko sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. She looked over at her friend and wondered what she was thinking.

"How you holding up?" Ritsuko asked.

Misato continued to watch the workers prepare Unit-02 for transport, but answered.

"Better than I thought I'd be," she admitted.

Misato thought about how the day had gone so far. Asuka had agreed to the test more readily than she expected, although she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. She was actually hoping Asuka would have taken a few days to prepare.

"Everything seems to be falling into place, in a manner of speaking," Misato said.

"I suppose you could say that," Ritsuko agreed. "I didn't think it'd be this easy to get Asuka to agree to another test."

"I was surprised too," Misato said, "but she said she'd do it today."

"And what about Shinji?" Ritsuko asked. "How does he feel about all this?"

"Shinji seemed fine when I talked to him" Misato explained. "He said he understood, and would be ready."

"That's good," the doctor said. She had finished reading over her papers and closed her folder."It may sound strange, but Shinji's the only one we can depend on right now. We'll need him every step of the way."

Misato thought about what her friend said. It was hard to believe, but she was right. Through everything, Shinji had been unpredictable, unsure of himself, and at times, even ran away. In the end, though, he always came through, and now he was a different person. Misato wasn't sure why, but Shinji wasn't running away anymore, and he was the only one left they could depend on if the worst happened.

"You're right," Misato said in agreement. "Hard to believe."

"Is it?" Ritsuko asked. "You've been with him more than anyone else."

"What do you mean?" Misato asked. He didn't understand what her friend was trying to say.

"I just mean that if anyone should be able to accept Shinji, it should be you," Ritsuko said.

Misato was surprised at what Ritsuko said, but realized it was true. She had been watching Shinji as more than a friend, or a commanding officer. She was his legal guardian, and that gave her a different perspective than everyone else. Over the past year, she had watched him grow and develop as a person more than everyone else did.

"You're right, Ritsuko," she said finally. "And I do."

**- x -**

"Unit-02 is being prepared for an activation test," SEELE-03 said.

The twelve SEELE tablets were in their usual circle formation, although a large cylinder with a young teenage boy was in the center.

"We did not expect this to happen so soon," SEELE-05 said. "The second child had shown so little progress."

"We don't have much time," SEELE-06 said. "If the pilot is successful in activating Unit-02..."

"We needn't worry about her," SEELE-09 interrupted. "She's shown no signs of recovery, and her last test was a failure."

"Still, we cannot ignore the possibility," SEELE-07 said. "Unit-02 has been exhibiting some troubling developments. If it accepts its pilot, we'll be forced to respond."

"Impossible," SEELE-11 said. "We're not ready."

"Our Eva Series are not yet complete," SEELE-12 said.

"And even if they were, the UN hasn't agreed to our proposal," SEELE-10 said. "With the appearance of the 18th angel, they do not agree that NERV has served its purpose."

"The UN was merely a formality to our plans," SEELE-03 said. "We all know our Eva Series are the true pieces we need."

"Still, only Units 05 through 09 have been completed," SEELE-08 said.

"That isn't enough to create the Tree of Life," SEELE-02 said.

"No, but it's enough to take Ikari's precious Unit-01," SEELE-01 said.

The other tablets all stood in silence at their leader's sudden words. He stressed the time table more than anyone else, and yet he was suggesting they move before they were ready.

"Is that... safe?" SEELE-03 asked. He and the others knew the risks of contact with Unit-01. That was the center of their plan, but to do so without a complete Tree of Life would prove unpredictable.

"The risk is acceptable," SEELE-01 said. "Without a complete Tree of Life, the Lance of Longinus cannot be summoned. Without the lance, we needn't worry about any unwanted incidents. Furthermore, we cannot allow Ikari to hold all the pieces any longer. His betrayal is inevitable."

"That may be true, but what would we do with Unit-01 in the mean time? And it's pilot?" SEELE-02 asked.

"And for how long? We would need up to Unit-16 in order to complete the tree," SEELE-04 explained. "That will take at least another three months."

"We do not need all twelve," SEELE-01 said with a tone of finality. "If need be, we can go ahead with nine, but we'll accelerate the production of the remaining Evas, just to be sure. As for Unit-01, we'll keep it under cryo stasis."

"And the pilot?" SEELE-05 asked, sounding rather skeptical.

"There is no way we'll be able to get to Unit-01 before they can get the boy inside it," SEELE-08 said.

"It is just a child," SEELE-01 said. "He will not be difficult to contain, or control."

"You say that, but he is no simple child," SEELE-06 said. "Ikari hasn't been able to control him."

"We will do what is necessary," SEELE-01 insisted.

The circle of tablets were again silent, each of them most likely contemplating the plan, and its potential consequences. They had been planning these final steps for over a century, and now they were so close. Everything had gone to plan up till now, despite Gendo Ikari's plans against them.

"Alright," SEELE-02 said. "Do we have an agreement?"

There was another resounding silence before the tablets all said "aye" together, agreeing to move forward and claim Unit-01 with their five mass production Evas.

"I would like more assurances than these dummy system pilots, however," SEELE-08 said.

"As would I," SEELE-09 agreed. "They were trained to act a certain way when with Unit-01."

"Very well," SEELE-01 said. "We'll send the boy."

The boy in the cylinder in the center of the circle of tablets opened his red eyes and smiled. Although his existence had been brief up to that point, he was looking forward to finally meeting the boy that killed him.

"Just leave it to me," he said, smiling.

"Very good," SEELE-01 said. "We leave this in your hands, Kaworu Nagisa."

The circle of tablets vanished, leaving the cylinder containing the boy alone in the dark chamber. Lights turned on to illuminate the rest of the chamber, revealing a massive white armored Evangelion before him. Unlike the Evangelions before it, this white variant didn't have the shoulder pylons, and its head was distinctly inhuman looking. Unit-05 stood before the child with its eyeless head looking more monster than machine.

The boy looked at his Evangelion as the fluid in his cylinder emptied and the glass lowered to allow him to exit. He looked upon his Evangelion with a sense of excitement at what was to come.

"The time is at hand," he said, almost like he was speaking to the Evangelion. "So, Shinji Ikari, shall I take care of you myself? Or leave you for the others?"

Unit-05 gazed back at the boy with its blank, eye-less expression. Even without eyes, its face appeared to be giving a menacing glare. It was an intimidating beast, even when sleeping like it was now. Kaworu smiled at Unit-05 and gave a short laugh.

"Of course," he said, as if the Eva had spoken to him. "I'll let _him_ decide."

**- x -**

Shinji and Asuka walked in silence as they left school. The rest of the day had been rather uneventful, although Shinji couldn't shake this nagging feeling he had. Asuka had been dead silent the entire day, even during lunch, and that worried him.

Since they were now on their way to NERV headquarters, Shinji decided it was time to ask Asuka about the test.

"So Asuka," he said slowly, making sure she was listening. He wasn't exactly sure how to approach the subject he wanted to discuss. "How did everything go this morning?"

"Fine," the red head answered simply.

Asuka didn't look back at Shinji, and continued to walk at a brisk pace. They continued for some time before either of them spoke up again.

"Shinji," Asuka said to her companion.

"Yes?" Shinji asked.

"How do you do it?" She asked.

"How do I do what?" He asked. He didn't understand the question.

"What, are you stupid?" Asuka asked, although it lacked her usual fire when she scrutinized Shinji. "Pilot!"

"Pilot?" Shinji repeated the word and thought about what she could mean. "You mean the Evas?"

"Of course, what else would I mean?" Asuka asked, now sounding a little more like her old self.

Shinji thought about her question, and came to an answer rather quickly. He had been thinking about that very subject ever since his conversation with Toji.

"To be honest," Shinji began, "I don't really know. I just do."

"What?" Asuka couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could synchronize so well if he didn't even know how he did it?

"At first, I tried really hard to synchronize with Unit-01," Shinji admitted. "Especially after you arrived."

Asuka was a bit surprised at Shinji admitting that he started trying harder after she had arrived in Tokyo-3. She was a little flattered, and maybe even proud to have had that effect on him.

"You were so good at synchronizing with Unit-02, and you enjoyed it," Shinji continued. "I envied that, so I tried harder. As I got better, it was strange. I started to feel different whenever I was inside Unit-01."

"Different?" Asuka asked. She found this piece of information rather interesting, because she also had started to feel different in Unit-02 near the end.

"Yeah," Shinji said. "It's hard to describe, but it was like being with someone close to me. I felt safe, accepted. It was like I could trust Unit-01, and it would trust in me."

"Trust..." Asuka thought about that word. Trust was something she had never really placed in Unit-02, even thought claimed it was the world's first true Evangelion, and superior to Unit-00 and Unit-01. When she first arrived in Tokyo-3, she had trust in herself, and her abilities, but that was something she had since then lost.

"Yeah," Shinji said. "I know it must sound strange, but that's how I feel whenever I'm in Unit-01. I feel like it's listening to me, whenever I'm piloting. I am more true to myself there, than anywhere else."

Shinji suddenly stopped talking and blushed slightly. He didn't mean to admit something that intimate to anyone, let alone Asuka. Like everyone else, he had his personal secrets to hide, but inside the Eva, he had learned to let go of his shields, and let everything flow freely.

Asuka didn't pick up on Shinji's sudden embarrassment at what he admitted, and was thinking about what he had said. His approach to piloting was so different than hers. She wondered if that's why it seemed so natural to him now, and so hard for her. She was so used to keeping herself locked up inside, especially after what had happened against the 15th angel.

The two had made it to the train station by then, and entered the train heading to the geo front. The two managed to get a bench for once, and sat down before the train started moving.

"Asuka," Shinji said as the train started to descend underneath the city on the surface.

Asuka looked over at Shinji. It was then that she noticed how close they were sitting, and she found herself trying to scoot away ever so little.

"Today, at the test," he said, not noticing her strange behavior, "I know you can do it."

Asuka didn't say anything, but focused on Shinji entirely. She listened to his words, and watched his face closely. He was being sincere, and wasn't just trying to make her feel better.

"I know you don't want to open up to me," he said, "and I don't expect you to. Inside the Eva though, just give it a try."

"Shinji?" Asuka couldn't believe what he was saying. Had she been so closed in that she didn't notice how it was reflecting on Shinji? She didn't realize that he knew she was hiding so much from him, from everyone.

"You can do it, Asuka," Shinji said again, trying to stop any doubt she may have been forming.

Asuka saw the determination in Shinji's eyes and felt something warm inside her. She felt like she could believe in what he said, and nodded.

"Okay," she said, "I will."

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:5**

**- Accept Me -**

Asuka stood at her locker staring at the mirror she had placed inside its door. She had finished putting on her plug suit, and was now thinking about what Shinji had said about synchronizing with the Evas. What he had said sounded so farfetched, and yet it was starting to make sense to her. It was also the same thing that Rei had said to her once, when they were alone in the elevator.

Back then, Asuka didn't want to hear Rei giving her advice, and disregarded it entirely. Still, in secret, she tried talking to Unit-02, from outside the entry plug, but found the whole thing to be silly.

Asuka looked over to where Rei's locker was. The other female pilot wasn't in the locker room, which didn't surprise her. She didn't have any reason to put on a plug suit today, so why would she be in the locker room?

Still, Asuka didn't like being alone. Even though she didn't particularly like Rei, she did find herself using her to blow off steam before and after piloting tests or missions. Strangely, Asuka seemed to think Rei was a good listener, since she never talked.

Asuka took one last look at herself in the mirror and sighed. She closed her locker and mentally prepared herself for what was to come.

"This is it," she told herself. "You can do this, Asuka."

Asuka pumped her fist and left the locker room. Outside she was surprised to see Shinji and Toji waiting for her, along with Misato and Dr. Akagi.

"Oh, its everyone," Asuka said, more to herself than them.

"Hey Asuka," Shinji said in greeting. He was also dressed in his plug suit.

"Hey," Asuka said, feeling a little nervous with everyone there. She wasn't used to this kind of greeting, and it only made her more anxious about the test.

"We're all here to cheer you on." Misato said.

"Oh," Asuka said. She was trying to hide her anxiety.

Everyone stood there in uncomfortable silence. No one really knew what to say. The silence was finally broken by Ritsuko.

"We'd better get going," she said. As usual, she sounded all business.

Misato frowned and flashed her friend a glare from the corner of her eye. She wished Ritsuko could have been a little more humane for once. She knew better than anyone how much this test meant for Asuka's future.

"Oh, right," Asuka said. She couldn't hide how nervous she was now, and seemed almost robotic.

Shinji noticed this and stopped her by gently grabbing her arm.

Normally, something like this would have earned him a hard slap, or at least a barrage of shouts and insults from the red head. This time, however, Asuka offered no resistance, and simply looked over to him.

"You can do it Asuka," he said. His eyes were filled with a determination Asuka hadn't seen before. "I believe in you."

"Shinji," Asuka said softly. She had never had anyone say that to her before, and it filled her with something. It wasn't pride, like some might expect. No, Asuka knew what that felt like, and this was nothing like her usual proud feeling. No, if Asuka had to put a word to it, she would have said it was happiness.

The two stood there for a moment, Shinji holding Asuka's arm with that determined look in his eyes. Asuka's face reflected her surprise, and then her joy at Shinji's words. That is, until Misato interrupted the moment by clearing her throat.

Asuka and Shinji were shocked out of the moment and split apart, both looking embarrassed. Shinji was rubbing the back of his head while Asuka looked away with a slight flush to her cheeks.

None of the other three seemed to pay any mind to what they had just seen, and Toji went so far as to stretch his arms before resting is hands behind his head.

"Good luck," he said before walking off.

Asuka didn't reply to the other teenage boy as he walked off. She was still trying to fight away her blush when Ritsuko addressed her.

"Let's go, Asuka," she said. She sounded more serious and cold than she usually did, which was quite an accomplishment.

"Okay," Asuka replied. She walked towards the testing chamber with the doctor, leaving Misato and Shinji behind.

Misato watched the two leave for the testing chamber. Her mind was swirling with a variety of thoughts about the test, Asuka, and the future. She hoped everything would go alright today, more for Asuka's sake than humanities. Asuka needed to succeed this time. If she didn't, NERV would find another for Unit-02.

Shinji was also lost in a whirlwind of thoughts as he watched Asuka leave for the testing chamber. He didn't know why he had gotten lost in that moment so easily. Something about the way Asuka looked at him confused him. Additionally, he didn't understand what it was he was feeling when he said those words to her. He had been meaning to try to pump her up, but they were more than just simple words. He wondered if he was coming out of his shell without realizing it.

"Let's go, Shinji," Misato said suddenly.

Shinji looked over to his older roommate, a bit startled. He had been lost in his thoughts when she got his attention. "Oh, right," he said.

The two turned and walked the opposite way the others had left, heading towards the main hanger where Unit-01 was waiting, still in cryo stasis. Shinji didn't understand why he was being put on standby for this activation test, but found he had no room to argue. What was more confusing was keeping Unit-01 in stasis. If they did need to launch it for whatever reason they were fearing, it would take at least three minutes to clear it from stasis.

Shinji never understood the complexities of the orders he was given. Whatever sense it made to the people that made them, he didn't see it.

They arrived to the main hanger and crossed the catwalk leading to the entry plug that was waiting for Shinji. It was being held up to the cat walk by a large crane hand, and was open.

Shinji walked to the end of the catwalk and climbed into the entry plug. Misato waited for him to get seated in the cockpit seat and leaned over until her head was inside of the plug.

"How do you feel?" she asked. She had spent the whole day worrying about Asuka and this test, and only just now realized she had been neglecting Shinji.

Shinji looked over to Misato. He wasn't sure how he felt. Today had been very confusing for him in terms of emotions. It was hard for him to describe it in words.

"Fine, I guess," he said ambiguously. He wasn't lying, however, since by all accounts, he did feel okay.

Misato gave Shinji a smile. "Don't worry," she said. "Asuka's going to do fine."

"You don't need to tell me that," Shinji said, sounding a little harsh.

Misato was surprised by Shinji's sudden change of attitude. For a second, it was like Shinji was back to the way he was after he had killed Kaworu, the 17th angel.

Shinji sighed and allowed himself to calm down. He didn't look at Misato, but apologized.

"Sorry," he said. "I know you're just trying to make me feel better."

"It's ok," Misato said. "I keep forgetting how much you've grown up. I guess I'm still having trouble letting go of the young Shinji that first arrived at Tokyo-3."

Shinji didn't feel like he had changed, or grown up, although he had to admit that no one could go through what he did without it affecting them in some way. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about himself, however. Whatever happened today, he had to be ready for what it would do to Asuka. He hoped for the best.

"I know Asuka will do it this time," he said.

Misato smiled and stepped back to allow the entry plug to seal shut. She watched the crane raise it up and move it towards Unit-01's back to be inserted, and turned to leave the hanger. She took one look back at the entry plug lowering into Unit-01 before making her way to join the others in the testing control room.

**- x -**

Asuka sat nervously in the entry plug as it was lowered into Unit-02. Before, she didn't think anything of this process, but now it gave her a sense of foreboding. She had never been claustrophobic, but now felt like the walls were closing in on her as the cockpit went dark while entering the Eva.

The red head tried to calm herself as the plug locked into place, concentrating on her heartbeat rather than the loud sounds of heavy machinery and radio chatter of the operations.

"You can do this, Asuka," she told herself. She had been telling herself that over and over as a sort of meditation chant, but wasn't sure if it was really helping.

The cockpit suddenly went silent, leaving Asuka to her thoughts as she awaited the test to begin. She looked forward out the front view screen at the testing control room. Misato had just arrived and was speaking to Ritsuko, although she couldn't hear them. The two adults spoke for a moment before the blonde haired doctor walked over to the control board and leaned down to a mic.

"How are you feeling, Asuka?" her voice asked through the com channel.

"Uh... okay," she answered weakly.

"Just remain calm," the adult tried to assure her. "This is the same Unit-02 you've always piloted."

"Calm, right," she said, although it was more to herself than the doctor.

"Inject the LCL," Ritsuko's voice said over the com.

The cockpit view screen shut off, and the lights dimmed to an orange glow. The LCL began to fill the cockpit slowly, beginning to submerge the young pilot.

Asuka tried to relax as the liquid covered her feet. She had never really enjoyed the process of submerging into the LCL, but now she was genuinely afraid as it began to surround her.

"Oh crap," Asuka whimpered as the LCL reached her neck. She struggled in her seat is the yellow liquid completely submerged her and entered her lungs.

"Asuka, calm down," Ritsuko urged her. "There's nothing to worry about."

"I know that!" Asuka said, trying to not appear weak.

"What's wrong?" Misato asked, looking over at Ritsuko.

"Asuka's brainwaves are all over the place, and her heart rate is increasing," she answered, sounding concerned. "She's panicking."

The two watched the vital sign charts as Asuka continued to struggle in the LCL. The brain waves were erratic, and her heart rate was over 100.

"We can't go through with the test like this," Ritsuko said. "There's no way she'll be able to pull it off."

"Just give her a minute," Misato said, pleading for a chance for Asuka. "There's no rush." Misato walked over to the com and pushed the send button. "Asuka," she said.

Asuka heard Misato inside the cockpit, and struggled to speak.

"Yes," she said.

"We need you to relax," Misato said. "Take a deep breath, just like you always do."

Asuka took a moment to try to calm herself and breathed deeply through her nose. The LCL flowed from her nose to her lungs and filled them, allowing her to breathe as if she were breathing air. She took another long breathe through her nose and exhaled it through her mouth. Her lungs felt warm from the LCL, and she felt her heart beat slowing as she continued to breathe.

"That's it, Asuka," Ritsuko said through the com. "Nice and easy."

Asuka continued to breathe deeply through her nose and exhale with her mouth. She focused on the warmth of the LCL and found it comforting, like a nice bath. Each breath filled her lungs with warmth, and left her mouth along with bits of her stress. In time, she felt completely relaxed.

"Very good," Ritsuko said. "Are you ready, Asuka?"

Asuka took a moment to think. She thought about her past in piloting Unit-02. How it had never come easily, but her hard work eventually paid off. She then thought about Shinji, who'd had so little experience compared to her, but was a natural at synchronizing. Then, she remembered what Shinji had said outside the locker rooms. He believed in her.

"I'm ready," she said.

"Alright, let's begin the test," Ritsuko called over the com. "Charge the LCL and begin connecting the nerve links."

The cockpit suddenly illuminated as the LCL was charged. As each level of links were connected the cockpit went through various spectrums of light. Asuka recognized each pattern, remembering the order from countless tests and missions. As each passed over her, she prepared to do her best.

"This is it," she said as a kaleidoscope of colors filled the cockpit. "My last chance."

A final flash of black and white filled the cockpit before it returned to its orange glow. The cockpit then lit up completely as the LCL fully charged and became clear, and the view screen showed the test chamber around the Eva. The hum of the charged LCL filled Asuka's ears, telling her it was now, or never.

"I can do this," she said to herself quietly.

"All nerve connections linked," Maya's voice said over the com.

"Harmonics read normal," another controller reported.

"Alright," Ritsuko said. "This is it, Asuka."

Asuka took a deep breath through her mouth and emptied her mind. She focused on the hum of the cockpit and the warmth of the LCL. She let it envelop her senses, and slowly take her away.

"Synchronization is at ten percent and rising," Maya said in the control room. She was reporting the status of the test without use of the com so as to not distract the pilot.

"Everything's looking good so far," Ritsuko said. She was sounding more upbeat now, and was even letting a slight smile form at the corner of her lips. "She's already doing better than last time."

Misato looked on in silence. She had her arms crossed and was thinking in silent prayer, hoping that everything worked out.

Asuka continued to focus on the warmth of the LCL. She had never noticed how warm it felt before. It was calming, inviting. She felt her body relax, and allowed her mind to go with it. Slowly, she let herself go freely.

"Twelve percent," Maya reported. "Thirteen percent... Fourteen... Fifteen..." She continued to count upwards until finally, "Seventeen. Synchronization is above the activation thresh hold."

"Harmonics are steady," the other controller reported, letting everyone know there was no problem with the pilot.

"We've reached the absolute borderline," Maya said.

"Alright, let's see if she can do it," Ritsuko said. She was watching the graph fluctuate at the border-line, a point of contact between the pilot and Evangelion that would ultimately determine if it would activate or reject the pilot.

"Absolute border-line passed," Maya confirmed. "Nerve links are green, harmonics read standard. Evangelion Unit-02 is active."

"You did it Asuka!" Ritsuko called over the com excitedly. "Unit-02 activation was successful."

Asuka heard Ritsuko and smiled. _I did it, Shinji. _She thought to herself. _You believed in me, and I did it._

_"I believe in you too."_

Asuka thought she had heard a voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she didn't know from where.

"It's you, isn't it?" Asuka asked. She looked up at the ceiling of the entry plug, as if towards someone above her.

There was a moment of silence, as no answer came. Asuka didn't know what to think. She wondered if she had just imagined it.

"Alright, Asuka," Ritsuko said over the com. "We want to see how high we can push it. Are you up for it?"

Asuka took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She cleared her mind and answered, "Yes."

"Sync ratio is rising," Maya reported. "Now over twenty percent."

Asuka continued to remain calm, now more confident with the activation successful. She listened closely to the hum of the cockpit, wondering if the voice would return.

"Where are you?" she asked. Asuka waited, but got no reply. She was sure she had heard the voice back then.

_"I am here_," the voice suddenly said. It was that of a woman. It didn't sound like it was inside the plug, or coming from the com. It was if it was inside Asuka's head.

This realization worried Asuka. She didn't like having voices in her head, especially after the battle with the 15th angel. She felt her body tense up involuntarily, and her heart started to beat loudly in her ears.

"Wha... what do you want?" Asuka asked.

There was a silence in the cockpit that deafened Asuka. she couldn't even hear the constant hum of the charged LCL anymore. She waited, anxiety starting to grip her heart. The once calm and welcoming embrace of the LCL had become ice cold to Asuka. She felt trapped.

_"I want you,"_ the voice said. The voice spoke softly, almost with a longing in its tone.

Asuka heard the words, and felt threatened by them. She had forgotten everything Shinji had told her about opening up, and let her instincts decide for her. She reflexively tried to protect herself, and rejected the voice.

"No!" Asuka cried. "Go away!"

"Sync ratio is starting to fluctuate!" Maya suddenly reported.

"What? What's happening?" Misato asked.

"I don't know," Ritsuko answered. She looked at the monitors and was surprised to see Asuka's psycho graph fluctuating, almost like those of Toji and Shinji during their sync tests. "Something's wrong... Asuka's mind is in some kind of shock!"

_Could this be another attack? _She wondered. Ritsuko didn't know if it was a problem with the test, or if they were experiencing another of the attacks they thought had occurred before. There was only one way to make sure.

"What's the status of Unit-01? Is Shinji experiencing the same fluctuations?" She asked Maya.

"Negative," Maya reported. "Central command reports that the pilot and Unit-01 are synchronized and stable."

"Damn, then it must be Unit-02," Ritsuko concluded.

"Asuka!" Misato called through the com.

"No!" Asuka cried.

She felt like a presence was descending upon her within the LCL. some invisible force was pressing down on her, trying to get into her mind. She grabbed her head and pressed on it to try to stop the voice.

"Get out of my head!" she demanded.

_"You are the one I want," _the voice said. _"There can be no one else."_

"No!" Asuka screamed.

"Sync ratio is dropping!" Maya shouted. "Asuka's psycho graph is deteriorating!"

"Abort the test!" Ritsuko ordered. "Sever the nerve links!"

Maya and the others scrambled to key in the commands. On their monitors the nerves links were cut, but there was no change in Asuka's psycho graph, or her synchronization.

"What? Why is she still synchronized?" Misato asked.

"Unknown," Maya said. "All nerve links were confirmed severed! This shouldn't be happening!"

"Oh no," Ritsuko examined the monitors. She had seen this before, but until now only with Shinji and Unit-01. "Unit-02 is attempting to synchronize with Asuka on its own! It's become fully aware! Cut the power!"

"Roger, severing the umbilical cable!" Maya confirmed the order.

The power cable connected to Unit-02's back blew off, leaving the Eva with 45 seconds of reserve power. The people in the control room watched helplessly as the Eva struggled in its restraints, a byproduct of its mental battle with its pilot.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Misato asked.

_"Accept me, Asuka."_ the voice demanded.

"No!" Asuka cried. "I won't let you in!"

_"You are so close. Don't stop now."_

"No! Never!" Asuka continued to try to shut out the voice physically with her hands. She had curled into a ball and had her eyes shut tightly. "I won't accept you! I don't need you!"

_"Then you will be alone," _the voice said grimly. _"Just like before."_

"No..." Asuka cried weakly.

Within the control room, Misato and the others watched as Unit-02's jaws opened, revealing its two pairs of glowing white eyes. The Eva let out a roar and flung its head back, continuing to struggle in its restraints. They could do nothing but watch and listen to Asuka screaming over the com from within the cockpit.

"How much time is left?" Misato asked.

"Thirty seconds!" Maya answered.

"Hang on Asuka," Misato said. She had her cross clenched in her right hand.

_"Alone," _The voice said. _"You don't want to be alone."_

"No..." Asuka said weakly. She didn't want to be alone. She didn't want others to ignore her, to disregard her. She had lost Kaji, her mother, her father... even Shinji.

_Shinji..._ Asuka thought about the boy who had tried so hard to make her life easier the past two months. There was a time she felt that she had chased him away. He seemed to ignore her whenever she spoke, and didn't look at her like he used to. Now, things were different. He listened to her, even when she was angry. And when he looked at her, those eyes. His eyes were different now. They didn't judge, or reject. They accepted her.

"I'm... not alone!" Asuka shouted.

_"You've always been alone," _the voice said. _"You've never accepted others."_

"I'm not alone!" Asuka repeated.

_"Accept me, Asuka," _the voice sounded almost like it was pleading now. _"Let me watch over you."_

"I have accepted someone!" Asuka said. "I won't be alone!"

There was an eerie silence in the cockpit after that last outburst by Asuka. It almost felt like the presence had left, leaving the plug perfectly silent and still. The LCL seemed to warm slightly, helping Asuka regain a measure of calm. She then felt the presences return, although it surrounded her more softly than before, feeling less threatening.

_"If that is so..." _the voice now sounded warmer than before, even to Asuka. _"I will protect you."_

"Why would you do that?" Asuka demanded. "What's it to you?"

_"It is everything," _the voice said. _"I will protect your happiness."_

Asuka didn't know why, but she felt that she could believe those words. Even thought she had rejected the voice, whatever it was, it wasn't interested in her acceptance alone, it seemed. It was as if the voice simply didn't want Asuka to be alone.

_"So tell me, Asuka," _the voice said, sounding strangely curious, like someone poking for gossip. _"Whom have you accepted?"_

Asuka thought back again to the memories of the past two months. Her pushing Shinji away, and him not surrendering. At times, it only made her try harder to keep him away, but part of her wanted the attention. Still, in times of focus, she kept her guard up, never allowing anyone, even him to see her true self. In times of weakness, however, it was him she went to. In times of happiness, she was with him.

Asuka felt her body relax completely and she drew in a deep breath through her mouth as she opened herself to the voice. She let Unit-02 into her mind, to see what no one else had ever seen.

"Shinji!" Asuka shouted as loud as she could.

Unit-02's eyes glowed brightly as it gave what sounded like a triumphant roar. In an instant, Maya and Ritsuko saw Asuka's synchronization charts fly past 100% before abruptly shutting down as the Eva's power depleted itself.

"Reserve power depleted," Maya reported.

"That, that was incredible," Ritsuko said.

"Incredible?" Misato asked. "What the Hell are you talking about!" She suddenly became angry. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Ritsuko admitted. "But right before it ended, Asuka's sync ratio was over 100%."

"A hundred?" Misato asked in wonder. "I thought you said her ratio was going down?"

"It was," Maya said. "Then suddenly at the end, her ratio shot up."

"What about her psyche charts?" Misato asked. She was worried about Asuka. Even with a good sync ratio, the thought of her psyche taking another blow was unsettling.

Ritsuko looked over at the monitor and let out a sigh of relief. "Calm and stable," she said.

"All life signs read normal," Maya added.

"Eject the entry plug and discharge the LCL," Ritsuko said calmly. "Have a medical team standing by for extraction. I want to take a look at Asuka and make sure she's alright."

"Yes, ma'am" Maya said as she keyed in the commands to eject the entry plug. "A medical team is on its way."

Ritsuko stood up straight and exhaled a breath she felt like she had been holding during the entire test. Despite what happened, she would report the test as a success, and worry about examining the data later. She felt that everyone could use some good news for a change. Looking over to her friend, Ritsuko saw Misato staring at Unit-02, apparently lost in thought.

"You should go get Shinji," Ritsuko said.

"Hmm?" Misato asked. She turned and looked at the doctor.

"Shinji," Ritsuko said. "Shouldn't you go get him? Asuka called for him, after all."

**- x -**

Shinji didn't know how long he had been sitting in the cockpit on standby when there was finally some activity outside. Workers in the hanger were moving up to the cat walks when Hyuga's voice came over the com channel.

"Prepare for shut down," he said.

"Is... it over?" Shinji asked, wondering what was going on. He had completely zoned out while waiting.

"That's right," Hyuga said.

Shinji sat up in the cockpit and looked out the view screen more clearly. He hadn't heard anything from the test control room, since they didn't patch in the com channel, and was wondering how it went.

"What happened?" He asked. "How did the test go?"

"I'm sorry, Shinji," Hyuga said. "They didn't report anything over the com, just that we could initiate the shut down sequence."

"Oh..." Shinji said, sounding a little dejected. He was worried that something bad had happened, or that Asuka may have failed again.

"Major Katsuragi is on her way now to get you," Hyuga said.

"M-Misato is?" Shinji asked. He was a little surprised that Misato was coming to get him instead of staying with Asuka. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"That's right," Hyuga said. "Standby, we're discharging the LCL."

Shinji sat back in his cockpit seat and allowed Hyuga and the others to start the shut down sequence.

The view screen shut off and the LCL returned to its murky orange-like color as it was uncharged. The entry plug rumbled slightly as it was raised out of Unit-01's back followed by a loud clank as it locked into place at the end of the back. There was a brief moment of silence, and then the LCL within the plug began to drain, letting Shinji see clearly again.

Shinji breathed deeply as the LCL drained below his face, allowing his lungs to slowly re-adjust to breathing air instead of the liquid. He always hated this part of the shut down sequence. While it was uncomfortable letting LCL in during activation, he was positive that getting it out was more than twice as uncomfortable. Every time it brought him the unsettling feeling of drowning, but over time he had learned to slowly breathe it out.

The LCL finished draining and there was another loud clank as the plug was gripped by the crane hand. It was pulled the rest of the way out of Unit-01's back and moved over to the cat walk. When it reached the catwalk, it shook slightly as the crane came to a stop and the seams of the plug hatch lit up as they were released.

Shinji squinted as the light of the hanger crept into the plug through the cracked seals and then flooded it as the hatch doorway opened. He saw Misato waiting on the cat walk, looking like she had just run over from the testing control room.

"Misato," Shinji said at the sight of his commanding officer.

Misato was breathing heavily from rushing over. She didn't know why she had ran like that. Was it because of what Asuka said? Or was it because of the test?

"Hey, Shinji," Misato said, still a bit short for air.

Shinji looked around Misato, hoping to see Asuka. When he didn't see the red head, he began to fear the worst.

"What happened," he asked. "Did something go wrong?"

Misato thought about the answer for a moment. She had been so focused on getting to Shinji as fast as possible that she hadn't really thought about the results of the test. She hadn't even gotten any clear answers out of Ritsuko, and she certainly wasn't an expert on those kinds of things. Misato decided it was best to let her friend explain the finer points of the test.

"The test was a success," she said. Misato looked at Shinji, who was now standing at the doorway of the entry plug. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Asuka activated Unit-02."

"Oh, that's great!" Shinji said, returning a much more enthusiastic smile.

"Yeah," Misato said, although she was faking her enthusiasm. She was happy see Shinji so high in spirits for a change, and didn't want to spoil it. "Which reminds me, the reason I'm here."

"What's that, Misato?" Shinji asked.

"Asuka wants to see you," she said.

**- x -**

"Really, Ritsuko," Asuka said, "I'm fine."

Asuka had been taken to Ritsuko's office to be looked at after the test, and she was getting annoyed at the doctor's probes and questions.

"I'm just making sure," Ritsuko said. She was ignoring the teenager's protests. "You gave us quite a scare back there."

"Like it's my fault," Asuka said under her breath. "What does it matter anyway? You said the test was a success."

"And it was," Ritsuko said. She was speaking softly, like a normal doctor would. It wasn't often she got to act like one. "I just want to check for anything out of the ordinary before you go home."

"Ugh, fine," Asuka finally relented. She had a pouting look on her face, although she resigned herself to the doctor's tests. "Make it quick."

"Don't worry, we're almost finished here," she assured her patient.

Ritsuko took a flash light and clicked it on and off in front of each of the girl's eyes. She watched her pupils dilate with each flash and checked the monitor for any anomalies in her brain patterns.

"Everything checks out," Ritsuko said.

"Finally," Asuka said. She leapt off the exam table.

"But Asuka," Ritsuko made sure she had the girls attention before continuing. "If anything happens, I'm going to have to take a closer look," she explained.

"Alright," Asuka said. She didn't expect there to be any problems. She felt oddly refreshed, despite what she had experienced during the test. She felt liberated, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I'll be going now," Asuka announced as she opened the door. She turned to leave and bumped into someone.

"Ah, excuse me," someone said. The voice sounded weak.

"Watch where you're going!" Asuka shouted. She regained her balance and looked at who had bumped into her. It was Shinji. "Ah, Shinji," she said, no longer sounding threatening.

"Asuka," Shinji said with a smile. "I heard what happened. Congratulations!"

Asuka was surprised to discover Shinji had already heard, but realized what must have happened when she noticed Misato standing next to him. She felt a bit disappointed, because she had wanted to tell him herself.

"Ah, you heard," she said, trying not to let her disappointment show.

"Yeah, Misato told me," Shinji said. He didn't sense her disappointment at all.

_Of course,_ Asuka thought to herself. She decided she'd just play along. "Ha!" Asuka suddenly said loudly. "As if there was any doubt!"

Shinji was a little confused at Asuka's sudden behavior. He knew when Asuka was hiding something, although he never let on that he did.

"Right," Shinji said, giving a fake laugh.

Asuka smiled and retuned Shinji's laugh. She was proud of herself, for accomplishing the activation, but also happy that she could share this moment with Shinji.

Misato smiled from behind Shinji. Things hadn't been like this in a long time, and it felt good. At least for now, Misato felt her worries wash away.

"This calls for a celebration," Misato declared.

Asuka and Shinji looked over to their legal guardian. Both of them had seemed to forgotten she was even there.

"Oh, yeah," Shinji said. He wasn't as enthusiastic as Misato was, but didn't mind the idea, even if it did mean spending a lot of time cleaning up after the others.

"That's a great idea!" Asuka said.

"Great," Misato smiled. "You two go get changed, and we'll pick something up on the way home.

Shinji and Asuka both agreed to Misato's proposal. Unknown to the trio, another figure examined them from afar. Rei was at the far end of the hallway, watching the two teenagers in silence. She was standing around the corner, peering from cover, although she wasn't sure why. She was instinctually hiding from the others, while she watched, and wondered.

_Ikari... and Asuka... _ Rei thought about the two as she watched from where she was hiding. She had memories of those two, and they brought back stronger feelings than most of her other memories. She wasn't sure what importance this difference was, but it made her curious, and so, she watched.

The two seemed happy to her, a feeling she had no experience with. Even her memories from her past self only had a handful of experiences, but they invoked no response from her. Rei didn't know happiness. to her, it was just a word.

_Happiness... _Rei thought about the feeling as she watched her two co-pilots. She saw a flash of a memory from her past life when she looked at Shinji. It was of him smiling after saving her after the battle with the 5th Angel. _Ikari..._

For a brief moment, Rei felt her chest tighten, and her cheeks warm. She had felt this before when looking at Shinji. Rei still didn't understand what this feeling was, but she found it intoxicating. Something about it made her feel like more than she was. She felt alive.

This feeling lasted until she changed her focus to the other pilot, Asuka. Rei's chest lost its tightness, although her cheeks didn't cool any. She saw another memory flash before her eyes. It was of Asuka and Shinji arguing in class.

There was nothing significant about the memory. It was one of dozens, if not hundreds of memories Rei had retained of the two teenagers fighting. These memories made Rei realize just how much time the two spent together. They were always together, Shinji and Asuka.

_The second child... _ Rei gazed at the red haired teenager, observing her smiling with Shinji before the two turned away from her and started to walk away. She watched as the red head gave the boy a playful slap followed by mutual laughter.

Seeing this exchange stirred something within Rei. She felt her whole body tighten, and her mind cleared of its stray thoughts. What was left was a feeling Rei was very familiar with. Anger.

Rei felt anger, and she wanted to do something, but she wasn't sure what. She let this feeling consume her thoughts and felt it push outward. Behind her, a hospital table shook slightly, and a vase containing flowers cracked.

**To be continued…**

Author's Notes: I changed the title of the story to better fit the direction it is going to take. I had avoided this title originally to avoid what I felt was an all too obvious and overused title for Evangelion fan fiction, but now feel that calling it Genesis Chapter 2 is even worse.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed these two new chapters, even if they lacked any real action. I wanted to spend some time developing the story and the characters. Any reviews or comments are appreciated, particularly on character development.


	6. 1:6 The Calm

Ritsuko stared at her computer screen while smoking a cigarette. She had been working a late night, reading an urgent report and some troubling data that had been examined that afternoon.

The scientist was used to these late nights, especially more recently. The commander had increasingly high demands of her time with what he was sure was the coming end of his plans. Ritsuko would spend hours each night working on secret projects that only her, commander Ikari, and sub-commander Fuyutsuki knew about, preparing for the final steps.

This night, however, was a free night she had been looking forward to. For once, the commander had no work for her, and Ritsuko had been planning on some much needed rest and relaxation. After all, she wasn't sure if should would ever get another chance. What Ritsuko got instead, was an urgent emergency report, and something far more stressful than even her typical late night activities.

"You're certain the data is correct?" Ritsuko asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Maya Ibuki answered.

Ritsuko put out the butt of her cigarette in her ash tray and immediately lit another. It was nights like these that prevented her from quitting.

"Does anyone else know?" Ritsuko asked while taking a draw from her newly lit cigarette.

"No ma'am," Maya said. "As instructed, the Magi intercepted the data stream before it reached central command. You are in possession of the only record of the incident."

"Good," Ritsuko said. "I want to make sure it stays that way. I'll inform the commander once I'm done here."

The doctor took another draw from her cigarette and let it linger in her lungs a moment before exhaling slowly. She looked over to her subordinate and gave a faint smile.

"Thank you, Maya," she said. "You can go home now."

"Thank you, ma'am," Maya said before bowing. She turned to leave her superior's office.

After the younger woman left her office, Ritsuko took another look at her computer screen. There was a detailed time line of events, but only one line interested her. It read:

6:17 PM: AT-Field activity within the Geo-Front detected. Event observed for three seconds. Pattern unknown. Magi returned 70% probability of orange.

Ritsuko sighed and put out her second cigarette in the packed ash tray. She wanted to light another one, but thought it was best that she stop.

_Just what the Hell is going on? _She wondered to herself. She glanced back at the report and sighed. _She's doing it again..._

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:6**

**- The Calm -**

**By: OmegaGear**

"Unit-02's activation test was a success," SEELE-05 said.

The committee of twelve were meeting early in the morning, having been called by chairman Keel. As had become the usual, Gendo Ikari was not included in the meeting.

"It would seem our fears have been vindicated," SEELE-06 said, although he didn't sound pleased.

"This only further complicates matters," SEELE-09 said. "We weren't planning on this kind of resistance."

"We needn't worry about Unit-02," SEELE-01 said.

As usual, his words brought silence amongst the council. He spoke with a sense of absolution.

"Our Eva Series are more than a match for one Evangelion Unit," he declared.

"But we haven't had a chance to do any combat tests," SEELE-04 cautioned.

"Even with their dummy systems, I am skeptical," SEELE-08 said.

"You all had made that clear already," SEELE-01 said. "That is why we sent Kaworu as well."

"Can we really trust him?" SEELE-04 asked. "We all know who he is... _what_ he is."

"That is the very reason we created him," SEELE-02 said.

"And what we can create, we can destroy," SEELE-03 added.

"You'd better be right," SEELE-06 said. "We're gambling a lot on this. SEELE will finally be stepping out of the shadows."

There was an obvious tension developing amongst the committee of twelve. The months following the 17th Angel's defeat had seen several of their predictions faced with uncertainty and questions. While the three top members of the council stood strong by their Dead Sea Scrolls, the remaining nine were becoming restless.

Chairman Keel could sense this growing tension, but he was not troubled by it. He had been planning this longer than any of the others. Every step was planned to near perfection. He wasn't about to let an overzealous rogue destroy his dream.

"I am certain," SEELE-01 said.

**- x -**

Misato sat on a park bench with her legs crossed, looking like she was enjoying a moment of peace. She was in a large park outside of NERV headquarters on the Geo-Front. The park was sparsely populated at the moment, with few people venturing out so early in the day.

The major tapped her foot against the air while sipping her can of iced coffee. She had just enjoyed a pleasant evening with her two roommates celebrating Asuka's successful activation of Unit-02. It was the first cheerful evening they had had together in a long time, but the feeling was long gone now.

Misato had been woken early in the morning from a call. She didn't know who would have the nerve to call her at 4AM, but when she saw the number, she knew better than to answer. Instead, Misato got dressed and quietly left for the usual meeting spot.

A shadow crossed over Misato as a man took a seat on the bench facing the opposite direction behind Misato's. The man was carrying a bag, which he dipped his hand into and retrieved some bird seed. The man threw a handful of birdseed at his feet and waited for a small group of birds to flock over to eat the offering.

"The council has approved another budget increase for the production of Units 10 through 16," the man said quietly. It was Hyuga.

Misato kept facing forward and leaned back while taking a drink from her coffee. She knew that there must have been news involving SEELE if Hyuga was calling so early. They had used their usual form of contact through an unanswered call from a specific payphone. There was no telling who could be listening, and the risk were high for both of them.

Hyuga took another handful of birdseed and threw it to the flock of birds, which had been growing slowly. He had been doing his best at collecting information on SEELE covertly for the major. He didn't have inside sources, so he relied on hacking security networks that he suspected were front companies for the organization. The work was hard, and he only ever caught the biggest moves that were the hardest to cover up.

"Furthermore, Units 06 through 09 have been moved," he continued.

"Moved?" Misato asked. She spoke quietly, but couldn't hide her surprise.

"Yes," Hyuga confirmed. "Four secret building sites were revealed with the sudden movement of the Units. All four were moved to a location in Germany."

"Germany..." Misato repeated. "SEELE..."

"Most likely," Hyuga agreed. "Something's about to happen."

"Yeah," Misato said. "The question is, what?"

Misato, of course, had her theories. Thanks to the information Hyuga had been filtering her on top of the secrets Kaji revealed, she had a pretty good idea. If SEELE was making a move, she was sure it was to obtain Unit-01. It had become the missing piece in their puzzle left behind by the Lance of Longinus.

Misato sighed and glanced at the horizon. NERV's pyramid stood tall as the sun rose behind it. It was a perfectly calm morning.

**- x -**

Asuka and Shinji walked to school quietly. The two had had a rather peaceful morning at home, with Misato surprisingly gone.

The adult resident of their apartment had partied the night away to celebrate Asuka's successful activation test. She was drinking beers more liberally than either teenager had seen in a long time. Consuming beer like that usually meant Misato slept in the following day, and was a complete wreck when woken up.

Needless to say, they were surprised when they found her room empty. The two teenagers didn't ponder the oddity much, however, and enjoyed a quiet morning before heading to school.

Asuka stretched and rested her arms behind her head while they walked.

"Ah, what a perfect morning," she remarked with a smile.

Shinji didn't say anything, but smiled at Asuka when she spoke. He was enjoying the quiet morning as well, he just chose to express it differently.

"Hmm?" Asuka looked over to Shinji, wondering why he was so quiet. Him being quiet was normal of course, but only when he was in low spirits. "You're awfully quiet," she said.

Shinji continued his smile. "I'm just thinking," he said cheerfully.

"Oh?" Asuka asked, a little curious. "What about?"

"Oh, nothing," Shinji answered. He really wasn't thinking about anything in particular. "It's just been so long since it's been this peaceful," he added. "I think, for the first time, in a long time, I don't have a lot on my mind."

"Oh, is that it," Asuka said quietly. She hadn't realized Shinji had been so caught up with things recently. She had been focusing on herself so much. Asuka suddenly felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, Shinji," she said.

"Hmm?" Shinji wasn't sure why she was apologizing. She hardly ever apologized, least of all to him.

Shinji looked at Asuka and saw the look of guilt on her face. He hadn't seen that look on Asuka before, and it was very alien to him.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Shinji said.

"I never noticed how you were feeling," Asuka admitted. "I was so concerned with myself and my own problems."

"That's alright," Shinji insisted. He was speaking nervously now. "You had a lot going on."

"That's no excuse," Asuka said.

The red head took a step closer to Shinji and looked him in the eyes. He looked back into her eyes and saw her guilt up close. He had seen her look sad before, but this was something completely different. He wasn't sure how to handle this.

"You spent all that time worrying about me," she said. "And not once did I even consider what you were going through."

"Really, it's okay," Shinji said nervously. He wasn't sure where this was headed. "Besides, most of what was on my mind wa2s about you."

"Oh?" Asuka asked. Her eyes had suddenly lost their look of guilt, and now shined with curiosity.

_Oh crap, what did I just say? _Shinji thought to himself.

"Uh... well," Shinji started to say. He didn't know what to say though. He didn't see a way out. He could feel him face start to blush.

Asuka saw Shinji start to blush and leaned in closer. She peered into his eyes and could see how nervous he was.

"Hey," she said, suddenly becoming very serious. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Shinji that 'or else' look. "These weren't perverted thoughts, were they?"

"What?" Shinji jumped back a step. He couldn't believe what she was implying."Of course not!"

"Oh, so you don't find me attractive then," Asuka said. She was mocking an upset tone.

"What? No, that's not it either," Shinji said. He was really confused now. He felt like he had just fallen into some elaborate trap.

"Ah ha! Then you are a pervert!" Asuka said loudly, although she was joking.

Shinji was choking on air by now. What could he possibly say now, he wondered. It appeared that nothing would satisfy Asuka and end her assault.

Asuka watched Shinji's behavior with amusement. She always did enjoy watching him squirm, especially when it involved her. She stood proudly at her triumphant manipulation of her male roommate. That is, until she noticed something out of the ordinary.

"What?" Asuka said to herself. She took a step closer to Shinji again and forced him to stand up straight by pushing his chin up with her finger.

Shinji stood up straight, feeling a chill run up his spine when Asuka touched him suddenly. He stood nervously, looking into her eyes.

Asuka only needed to look into Shinji's eyes for a second to confirm her suspicions.

"You're taller than me!" she exclaimed.

"Hmm? Oh," Shinji said. He hadn't realized it either, but was aware that he was experiencing growth spurts lately. Ritsuko had noted them over his last couple of physicals, and he needed a new plug suit issued recently.

Asuka couldn't believe it. Little Shinji was no longer little. Somehow she had completely missed him growing two inches to pass her in height. Asuka's understanding of the cosmic balance of the universe was shattering. Although, she had to admit the idea of him being taller didn't necessarily upset her. She decided to take a closer look at the boy.

"Hmm..." Asuka hummed in contemplation while she looked Shinji up and down.

"What is it now?" Shinji asked.

Asuka noted Shinji's face first. It was still as babyish as before. No facial hair yet, and baby smooth skin. Asuka couldn't decide if it was cute, or laughable at different times of the day.

Moving on, Asuka noted his shoulders. They seemed a bit wider, and filled his school shirt more. No more muscle definition, but that didn't surprise her, considering how scrawny he was in the first place. Going lower, she then saw his socks clear as day on his ankles.

"You're going to need new pants," Asuka said.

Shinji looked down and noticed that his school pants were now a little too short to cover his ankles. He would have to get new pants issued to him after school.

Asuka suddenly smiled and grinned quietly.

"You know what this means," she said.

"What's that?" Shinji asked. He wasn't sure if Asuka's grin was a good thing.

"It's time to go clothes shopping!" Asuka cheered.

Shinji sighed at Asuka's declaration.

_So much for a calm morning._

**- x -**

Ritsuko stood in a dark chamber with commander Ikari. They were performing an operation with Rei, whom was inside a cylinder filled with LCL. The container was attached to a giant brain shaped object that had large hoses leading up the unseen ceiling above.

Rei gazed out of the cylinder with her cold red eyes. She hated these procedures, and what they were for. When she was just another soulless clone she watched countless of these from the pool that surrounded this very chamber. Even now, there were dozens of other clones watching now, mindless and nearly unaware.

She too had been unaware all those years as she watched. Those days were now distant memories, barely identifiable as real. It wasn't until the day she was chosen to replace the lost Rei that she learned the truth. In an instant, the memories and experiences of the past two Reis were given to her, and now she was recording her own into this brain. She was making a record for another future Rei.

Ritsuko felt uneasy as she monitored the procedure. The last Rei had performed these with her eyes closed, relaxing in the LCL as if it were a sync test. This new Rei, however, chose to do them with her eyes open, and her eyes were cold and menacing. She wasn't sure what the cause for the difference was.

She assumed that there was probably a degree of random probability with each clone, but also wondered if it had to do with the life spans. The last Rei had a chance to grow and learn as a child. This new one started her life at the age of fifteen. Despite having the memories of the past Rei, she also was aware that they were not her own. Ritsuko had noted during her many sessions with Rei that she was very confused and angry involving these memories, and the feelings they brought out.

Had Rei been a normal human being, Ritsuko would have diagnosed her with acute schizophrenia, but she was far from normal. Instead, Ritsuko has to approach this from unique angles, and try to figure out where Rei was going to land once she was done flipping.

While it was mentally trying on the woman, Ritsuko also did find it enjoyable, in a strange way. She felt a sense of accomplishment when she helped Rei through her confusion. It was a welcome change of pace from her other duties, which had become very dark in recent months.

Ritsuko sighed at the thought of what they had been working towards. She glanced back up at Rei, noting that her behavior was still the same. This behavior was a more recent development. It seemed the more the girl figured out, the more she hated what she was.

Gendo Ikari, on the other hand, didn't mind the way Rei behaved, or didn't let on, anyway. He stood in the dark chamber staring back at the young girl with his arms crossed behind his back, as usual.

"How is she," he asked.

"She's stable," Ritsuko said. Ritsuko read the charts on the monitor and recorded them on her clipboard. "Memory imprints have been recorded."

"I see," Gendo said, sounding rather uninterested in the report. "And what about her other status?"

Ritsuko looked over to the commander.

"No change," she said.

"I see," the commander said, sounding disappointed.

He hadn't given the report Ritsuko had given him last night much thought, but given the importance of her status in these crucial final steps, it troubled him.

The news of Rei generating an AT-Field wasn't surprising, since she had done it once before. They had experienced that phenomenon the first time when the 17th Angel had entered central Dogma. Back then, they were able to convince everyone that it was a reaction from Adam to the presence of the Angel, when in fact it was Lilith reacting to its soul in Rei.

A second occurrence was odd, however, given the circumstances, and the implications were serious. The first time was the result of Lilith's soul, which was contained by Rei, coming into close contact with Lilith's body. This second occurrence, however, had taken place far from Terminal Dogma, and that meant Rei was becoming more than a simple soul container. It would seem almost as if she was integrating with it, accepting it. It had become a possibility that Rei would be unable to act as the host as he had planned.

"What did the Magi say?" he asked.

"Inconclusive," Ritsuko said.

"I see," Gendo said.

He looked up at Rei, who looked back with angry red eyes. He wasn't sure if she was directing her glare at him, but he also didn't care. He only needed her body, and the soul within. Her mind and emotions were unimportant in the end. Gendo Ikari didn't care, but for the first time the subject of Rei didn't calm him.

**- x -**

Kaworu sat in the cockpit of his Evangelion in silent meditation. He was dressed in a white and black plug suit that matched the color scheme of his Eva. He sat and listened as the transports containing the Evas lifted off, elevating them high in the sky, above the range of most aerial radar.

"A silly precaution," he said in amusement. "The lilin are so amusing."

Kaworu looked over to the other transport planes carrying Units 06 through 09. He closed his eyes and opened his mind, reaching out to the others.

The voices of the Evas responded to his thoughts, speaking to him. They were eager to get out. Hungry.

"Don't worry, my brothers," Kaworu said. "Soon, we will be free."

The Evas again voiced their eagerness, but calmed slightly. They eventually grew silent, preparing for what was to come. Kaworu took this opportunity to sit back in his cockpit and grinned.

"Such a relaxing evening," he said. "So calm."

**- x -**

Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki was in the central command center when the call came in. He listened to it closely, feeling tense as he heard the news.

"I understand," he said and hung up.

He looked around the command center. The morning staff was still a little on the light side, with shifts being on low alert. Most of the people that were currently working were in fact just chatting and enjoying their morning coffees, which he had been doing himself before the call. Fuyutsuki looked at the map of Tokyo-3 at the front of the command center and frowned.

"Really," he said. "Did SEELE expect us not to notice something that big taking off?"

He was talking about the report he had just received over the phone. Intelligence observed five Evangelion aerial transports lifting off together from a location in Germany. The transports were a newer model, one that was developed as a stealth transport for Evas, should the need arise. With no Angels attacking, however, there was only one other reason for such a movement, and to use the stealth transports seemed laughable to Fuyutsuki.

"They're insulting our intelligence," he said to himself.

The commander clicked a button on the console in front of him to open a com channel.

"Get me Commander Ikari and Dr. Akagi up here," he said.

"Yes, sir," a voice answered back.

Fuyutsuki remained leaning on the console, looking down at the command center below. Everyone was calm now, but soon, things would be different.

He clicked another button and opened a channel to the whole command center.

"I want us raised to regular alert status," he ordered. "All level one personal report to your stations."

The crew below all looked up to him in surprise. No one at all moved, and instead stared up at him in wonder.

"You heard me!" he shouted. He didn't use the com, instead letting his voice echo through the massive chamber.

At once, everyone began to scramble to their stations. One-by-one, they reported in their status and performed system checks. Fuyutsuki watched them get to work and stood up straight. The calm had ended.

**- x -**

Shinji sighed as his teacher broke off into one of his legendary tangents about the second impact, and how it changed the world. This was the main reason he couldn't stand history class, since it always ended up this way. It didn't help that the old man only repeated the same two or three stories over and over again each time he did it.

Shinji sighed and looked over to where Rei's empty seat was. He wasn't surprised to see that Rei was absent, but whenever she was, he couldn't help but wonder why. Since learning the truth about her, he started to assume it had something to do with that chamber, or perhaps that fact that she was a clone. Still though, he couldn't be sure, and it continued to preoccupy his mind at times like these.

There was suddenly a blip sound at Shinji's computer. He snapped out of his deep contemplation and looked at his screen. There was a small blinking box saying he had received a message through the school's messenger system.

Shinji clicked on the box and read the message.

_What'cha looking at?_

It was from Asuka. Shinji was a little embarrassed to have been caught staring off like that, especially by Asuka. He didn't dare turn around to look at her where she sat behind him and to the left.

_Shinji: Nothing._

Shinji typed and sent the message. It didn't take long to get a response.

_Asuka: Oh really? It looked like you were staring at the first child's desk._

Shinji frowned. Even reading the text, he could sense his roommate's irritation. Asuka had never gotten along particularly well with Rei, and that was when Rei was a more pleasant person than she was now. The way she would sometimes talk about Rei was one of the few things he couldn't stand about her.

_Shinji: So? She's absent._

_Asuka: Oh, so you miss the wonder-girl?_

There it was. Asuka was kicking into gear, preparing her arsenal of insults about Rei, and probably some about him too, for good measure. Shinji wasn't really in the mood for this today, and decided it was best to just end it then.

_Shinji: I don't miss her._

Shinji sent the message with a rather loud click of the enter key. In truth, he really didn't miss Rei. At least, not the living Rei.

_Asuka: Whatever. We still on for after school?_

This question got Shinji curious. He didn't recall making any plans with Asuka for after school. It was their free day from NERV, so he had been planning to go straight home and relax.

_Shinji: On for what?_

_Asuka: You idiot! Clothes shopping of course!_

Shinji had completely forgotten about the subject of shopping for new clothes. In fact, he thought Asuka was just kidding around. It was true he had grown though, and would need to get some new clothes soon. He just wasn't sure if he wanted to do that with Asuka.

_Shinji: Oh... that. I thought you were kidding._

_Asuka: Well, I wasn't. You should appreciate your good fortune!_

_Shinji: And what good fortune would that be exactly?_

_Asuka:..._

Shinji didn't know how, but he had apparently just made Asuka mad. That foreboding ellipse was a sure sign of danger in his books, and he had a few dedicated to encounters with Asuka survival.

_Asuka: Dummkopf! You get to go clothes shopping with this school's most beautiful and fashion wise girl!_

_Shinji: But I thought we were just going to get me some pants?_

_Asuka: Ha! Why stop there? Not like you use the money NERV pays you, right?_

_Shinji: Well, no, not really._

_Asuka: ^_^_

The last message confused Shinji. Asuka sending a smiley was a very foreign idea to him, so he didn't view at as a happy smile. No, he thought back to when he first met the girl, and she gave a mischievous smile while concocting a plan to activate Unit-02 without speaking to anyone beforehand.

Just like back then though, Shinji didn't see a way out of Asuka's plan and relented.

_Shinji: Alright._

_Asuka: Good. Until then, keep your eyes forward!_

Shinji groaned at the order, but followed it, nonetheless. He didn't want to stir anymore trouble.

**- x -**

"You're sure," Commander Ikari asked.

The commander and Dr. Akagi had joined Fuyutsuki at the top of the command center, where he was telling them what intelligence had told him.

"Yes," Fuyutsuki said. "They left in the dark of night in Germany, roughly two hours ago."

"And their destination is here?" Commander Ikari asked.

"I don't see where else they could be going," Fuyutsuki said. "Based on their trajectory before intelligence lost them, they're heading here."

"So," Gendo said, "They're coming for Unit-01."

"They must be," Fuyutsuki agreed. "Without the Lance of Longinus, they can't begin instrumentality."

"How long do we have?" Gendo asked.

"Less than six hours, most likely," Fuyutsuki said. "We don't know the speed capabilities of those aircraft, but the design specs intended speeds in excess of mach one."

Gendo Ikari sat at his desk in silence. Neither Fuyutsuki or Ritsuko had any idea what the man may have been thinking. They were hoping they had more time before SEELE made their move. And truthfully, recent developments put an even greater strain on the timing of this event.

"Inform major Katsuragi," Gendo said. "I'll leave the preparations to her jurisdiction. Dr Akagi."

Ritsuko looked over to the commander from where she stood.

"I want you to work with Rei," he said. "You have six hours."

"Understood," Ritsuko said.

The scientist bowed and left the command center, leaving the two commanders alone at the top level. Fuyutsuki watched as Misato began handing out orders and demanding status reports while Gendo remained seated and gazing forward as he usually did.

_Ikari... I hope you know what you're doing, _Fuyutsuki thought to himself. Hope was about all he had left.

**- x -**

Misato stood in the command center examining the layered strategy map of Tokyo-3 and the Geo-Front. She had been worked with the senior staff for three hours since receiving the orders involving the situation with SEELE. She knew what was coming, but was informed to keep it under wraps. Instead, she was to run on level two alert status, and have the pilots on standby.

This was enough to get the rest of the people in the command center talking. Many of them were wondering if they had found another Angel before it started its attack, or if something else was going on. Tensions were running high as everyone worked through the system checks on the Evas and other defense systems.

The exception to this tension was with the three lieutenants that worked directly under Misato. The trio were informed about what was really going on, and were trying to help Misato plan their defenses.

"The pilots for Unit-01 and Unit-02 have arrived," Maya reported.

Misato looked over to the young technician and nodded.

"Good, have them change into their plug suits and standby for further instructions," she said. "What about the fourth child?"

"The fourth child has also arrived," Maya said. "However, Rei has not been accounted for."

Misato glanced to where her friend Ritsuko usually stood in the command center. She suspected that her absence had something to do with Rei also missing.

"Alright," Misato said. "Have Toji change and standby as well. Prepare Unit-02 for launch."

"What about Unit-01?" Maya asked.

"The order to keep Unit-01 frozen still stands," Misato said. "Have it prepped, but keep it in cryo-stasis like we always do."

"Roger," Maya said.

Misato turned to Hyuga while Maya relayed her orders to the pilots.

"What's the UN and JSSDF say?" she asked.

"Nothing you want to hear," Hyuga said. "The UN doesn't want to step in, and the JSSDF has already withdrawn. They don't seem interested in what they're calling a non-political civil war."

"Non-political civil war, huh?" Misato couldn't believe the nerve of them. "Don't they realize this is more like a world war with weapons more destructive than nukes? How can the JSSDF not defend their own country?"

"They probably just don't want to pick sides," Hyuga said. "It's not like they'd make much of a difference."

"Still, it'd be nice if we weren't alone in this," Misato said. "What's the status of..."

Misato was cut off as an alarm suddenly went off. Everyone was taken by surprise, and it took a second before someone finally reported what was going on.

"Our radar's detected something entering Tokyo-3 airspace," Lieutenant Aoba reported.

"What? It's too soon!" Misato cried.

"Confirmed!" Hyuga shouted. "Five Evangelion aerial carriers are descending towards the city!"

"No..." Misato watched as the giant view screen changed cameras to show a view of the sky. Five small dots could be seen in a V formation, and they were slowly getting bigger.

"Get Asuka in Unit-02 now!" Misato yelled. "Alert the city! Lower the city to a defense formation!"

"Roger! Activating city defense systems!" Hyuga shouted back.

"Asuka reports standing by in Unit-02," Maya said. "Shinji's also on standby in Unit-01."

Another alarm went off as the Magi detected five AT-Field readings. Red alerts flashed all over the command center as the readings were analyzed. The Magi returned a rather disturbing report, even for what they were expecting.

"The Magi..." Hyuga paused. He reread the words on his screen again just to make sure what he was seeing was really there. "The Magi report four orange patterns, and one blue."

"Blue? An angel?" Misato asked. She couldn't believe it.

**- x -**

Kaworu smiled as his Unit-05 and the others were finally released from the aerial carriers. The five white Evangelions fell towards Tokyo-3, their minds coming alive with excitement. Each one was carrying a large dual sided sword that was as long as they were tall.

Kaworu allowed them to fall for a moment before having them extend their wings. All at once, the five Evangelions flipped over and revealed their massive wings. They spread them and stopped their free fall before continuing their descent towards the city.

As they got closer, Kaworu could see that the sky scrapers had begun to lower into the ground, replaced by armor plated structures and various defense systems. There systems were no matter, however, as he knew they wouldn't pierce their AT-Fields. He wasn't going to land in the city anyways.

Instead, Kaworu steered his Eva to the south, to where the giant artificial lake created by Unit-00's self destruction sat. The other Evangelions followed him, keeping in their V formation. When they arrived, he and the others spread out of their formation and landed.

One by one, the massive Evangelions landed around the giant lake. They shook the earth beneath them upon impact, and retracted their wings into their backs. The four unpiloted Evangelions took a look around their surroundings and voiced their desire to Kaworu.

"Yes, I most certainly agree," he said. "I'm also anxious for his arrival."

Kaworu took a look around the area surrounding his Eva. On the other side of the giant lake was the city of Tokyo-3, partially consumed by it. Around them and to their backs were mountains and forests that lead towards Tokyo-2.

"My-my," Kaworu remarked. "What a beautiful view. Well, Shinji Ikari. You may have brought the calm, but are you prepared for the storm?"

The boy laughed as he and his Eva's stood tall over the forest surrounding the lake. He could not contain his joy at the chaos that was to come.

**To be continued…**

Author's Notes: I find myself struggling with the format I chose, so I've decided to try a more standard chapter approach, rather than episodic. Let me know which you prefer, as this chapter was still written as a longer episode format. If reader's prefer this format, it will alter the writing a bit and allow me to focus more on details instead of trying to cover so much material to make an episode. I would also reformat the older chapters for continuity. If you prefer the old format, I will re-add the second half of this episode.

That said, I'm also considering devoting more time to my other hobbies, since no one seems to like this story anyways. I know it's petty to expect feedback, but I would welcome any at all, as I want to know what people think of the direction I'm taking the story.

In the mean time, I do suggest you all watch the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. They are great pieces of animation and retell the Evangelion story in a very interesting way. 2.22 is what got me interested in continuing my fic in the first place.


	7. 1:7 The Storm

All was silent as five white Evangelions stood calmly around the artificial lake bordering Tokyo-3. The massive robots had arrived in the early afternoon, sparking a state of panic to the large city.

Its defense systems had been activated, lowering the majority of the sky scrapers down into the earth, towards the Geo-Front, leaving a flat armor surface and other non-civilian structures behind.

A boy inside one of the Evangelions, Unit-05, watched the city with barely contained anticipation. Since the day he was born, he had waited for this moment. He knew that this day would begin his journey to his destiny, as well as humanity's.

Kaworu Nagisa smiled and gripped his control arms firmly, waiting for the fun to begin.

"I'm waiting, Shinji Ikari," he said.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:7**

**- The Storm -**

Asuka sat nervously in the cockpit of Unit-02 as it was moved out of the cage and to the main hanger's launch pads. She had only just successfully activated the Evangelion Unit yesterday, and now they were already sending her out to battle.

"I can't take this," Asuka said to herself as the cockpit shook from the Evangelions being moved onto the launch pad. She had been on her way to the dressing rooms when she was suddenly dragged to Unit-02 in her school uniform. "I didn't even get to change into my plug suit!"

"I'm sorry, Asuka," Misato's voice came in over the com. "We don't have any choice."

"Damn it..." Asuka said sadly. "Why did this have to happen today of all days?"

In the command center, Misato ignored Asuka's complaining and turned back to her lieutenants. She had them resubmit the AT-Field readings for a second analysis, hoping the results the first time had been some kind of glitch.

Hyuga watched as the Magi re-examined the data and sighed when they submitted their conclusion.

"The Magi return the same results as before," he said. "Four Evangelions and one Angel."

"How is that possible?" Misato asked.

She looked at the giant view screen that showed the five Evangelion Units standing around the artificial lake, as if they were waiting for something. Since landing, none of them had moved.

"Or a better question is," Maya said, "which of them is the Angel?"

"We can't tell with them that close together," Aoba said.

Misato glared at the view screen with her arms crossed.

"Just what the Hell is SEELE doing?" she asked, although it was more of a rhetorical question she was making to herself. This was the second Angel they had sent NERV's way. She was starting to wonder just how real the Angel threat was. If SEELE was using them itself, were they just another tool? Another means to an end they were designing? Misato wondered how far they would go.

The whole point of instrumentality is to unite all of humanity to the next evolutionary stage, but it seemed to the major that they were willing to kill off a lot of their own race before doing it. Misato was dreading what would happen next if they survived this.

"Unit-02 has entered the second catapult," Maya reported.

"Right..." Misato said, still a little lost in thought.

Misato took a moment to think. Sending Asuka out there against all five was a suicide mission, but commander Ikari still hadn't given the order to lift Unit-01 from cryo-stasis. With Unit-02 as their only option, they had to pick their entry point wisely.

"What's the status of the launch access points inside the lake?" Misato asked. She remembered that there were a few that were in the portion of Tokyo-3 that had been consumed in Unit-00's explosion.

"Most of them were completely eradicated in Unit-00's blast," Aoba reported. "Heavy damage to the remaining launch points. It also looks like there's no working external power cables."

"So we can't sneak in from the lake," Misato said sadly.

"I'm afraid not, ma'am," Aoba said.

"And they're out of range of our existing power cable equipment," Hyuga said. "Even if we do launch Unit-02, she'll have to leave on internal power."

Above the four people, the commanders were listening quietly. The situation was being played out with a specific purpose.

"They're trying to lure out Unit-01..." Fuyutsuki said to the commander while listening to Misato and the others.

"Indeed," Gendo agreed. "SEELE has come to take Unit-01 it seems, and not commence instrumentality. They're not ready."

The commander, of course, knew this was SEELE's intention when he heard that five Evangelion transports were en route. As an agent of SEELE, he was well aware of their grand designs for Instrumentality, and this was not it. This calmed him slightly, but he still had no intention of letting them have Unit-01, or backing out of his own plans.

"Professor Fuyutsuki," Gendo said as he stood up from his desk. "Take over here. I am giving you the authority to unfreeze Unit-01, should the need arise."

"Understood," Fuyutsuki said. "Give my regards to Yui."

He watched the commander leave the command center while the others continued to formulate a plan of attack.

"How much power does Unit-02 have?" Misato asked.

"As per your instructions, Unit-02 has a full five minute charge," Maya reported.

"It would take Unit-02 at least one minute to reach the targets from our closest power station though," Hyuga said.

"Damn," Misato remarked. "That leaves us only three minutes at best."

"Launch me without the restraints," Asuka suddenly said through the com.

Misato looked down at the monitor showing Asuka in the cockpit of Unit-02.

"What?" she asked.

"If you launch me without the restraints, I can reach them," Asuka said. "It'll be just like when we defeated the seventh Angel."

"Well, that buys us another minute," Hyuga said.

Misato pondered the idea for a moment, and then looked over to Maya.

"What's her sync ratio?" she asked, making sure the open com was off.

Maya got the hint and tapped the button on her headset to turn off the active com feed.

"Holding at 57%, ma'am." she said. "It's not back to her scores when she was confident, but it's good considering the circumstances."

"Yeah..." Misato agreed. "It'll have to do."

"I can do it, Misato," Asuka said through the com. She sounded confident and determined. "I'll beat these knock off rejects in no time!"

"But..." Misato wanted to protest. She believed there had to be a better way. She couldn't think of one, however, as an alarm went off and a warning appeared on the view screen.

"We have movement!" Hyuga said. "One of the Evas is moving over the lake!"

"What now?" Misato asked.

**- x -**

Kaworu glared forward at the silent city before him. He had been waiting for nearly ten minutes, and was actually finding himself becoming impatient.

The others were growing impatient as well. They had been glancing back and forth between each other and the silent city across the lake. While there was no audible chatter, Kaworu was well aware of their discussion through the telepathic bond they had. They were very anxious.

Sighing, Kaworu told them to remain calm. The four Evangelions looked at him quizzically, but seemed to obey as they stopped their nervous glancing. This, however, did little to satisfy the boy.

"These lilin..." Kaworu said in disgust. "Guess I'll have to knock."

Kaworu's Evangelion stood up straight and spread its AT-Field. Unit-05 began to levitate, just like an Angel would, and floated over the lake quietly. The white giant opened its mouth and growled like a wild animal as a strange light began to shine from it.

"Knock knock," Kaworu said. He sounded a little insane, but no one could hear him.

The light in Unit-05's mouth flashed brightly and shot forward in a tight beam. Across the lake, a building exploded as a cross shaped light consumed it.

**- x -**

Everyone in the command center watched helplessly as the Evangelion used an Angel cross beam to vaporize a building. There was no more doubt over which of the Evas was the Angel the Magi had identified.

"Well, that explains which one is the Angel," Hyuga said.

"We're out of time," Misato said. She looked down at Asuka's monitor. "Are you ready, Asuka?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she answered.

"Alright," Misato said. "Release the restraints on Unit-02."

"Roger," Maya said.

She punched in the command, and the shoulder restraints on Unit-02 unlocked, letting the Evangelion free.

"Brace yourself, Asuka," Misato said to the pilot through the monitor. "Launch her as close to the targets as you can. Disconnect the umbilical cable as late as possible."

"Confirmed," Hyuga said. "Launching Unit-02 to the southern perimeter.

Everyone watched the main view screen as Unit-02 was launched. They watched the map of the launch route light up as the Evangelion's pad moved upwards through each level of defensive plating. It was like watching a ticking time bomb.

_Good luck, Asuka, _Misato thought in silent prayer.

**- x -**

Asuka sat in silence as her Evangelion flew upwards on the launch pad. She concentrated on her breathing, making sure to remain calm.

"Unit-02 has passed beyond the Geo-Front," Aoba reported through the com. "Now approaching the outer perimeter."

"This is it," Asuka said. She was speaking to Unit-02.

Unit-02 opened its left shoulder pylon to reveal a progressive-knife. Asuka took the handle with its right hand and extended the blade.

"I'm with you, Unit-02" Asuka said.

Unit-02 gave no answer, but Asuka could feel its presence surround her. It bent down on its legs and opened her landing jets, preparing to launch from the pad.

"Unit-02 will reach the surface in ten... nine..." Hyuga's voice came over the com and began the countdown.

Asuka closed her eyes as Hyuga counted down towards zero. She concentrated on the presence around her and let it enter her mind. She felt the warmth of another fill her body and relaxed.

"One... Zero!" Hyuga shouted over the com.

Asuka opened her eyes and at once, Unit-02 sprang into action. The instant the pad hit the surface, Unit-02 fired its jets and leapt from it, high into the air as it was thrown towards the five Evangelions across the lake. As she had nearly reached the apex of her ascent, she released the umbilical cable on Unit-02's back and started the five minute countdown for her internal power supply.

"Umbilical cable has been severed," Maya confirmed.

"You have four minutes, Asuka," Misato said over the com. "Then I want you to get back here. Understood?"

Asuka didn't respond. She saw the floating Evangelion that had been identified as an Angel floating over the lake, directly in line with her leap.

"Die!" Asuka cried.

Unit-02 raised the progressive knife and brought it down to drive it into Unit-05's head as it fell upon it.

Another of the white Evas spread its wings and flew in Asuka's path. It drew up its massive sword and blocked Unit-02's knife while grabbing its other arm by the wrist.

"Shiste!" Asuka exclaimed in German.

Unit-02 pushed down on the other Evangelion that had intercepted it. It brought its knees up and kicked down with both feet, effectively using the white Unit to cushion its landing as they crashed into the lake below.

The floating Evangelion looked on as the two others fell into the lake. Its pilot watched in mild amusement.

"Handle her," he said grimly. He turned his attention back to the city on the other side of the lake. This was not the one he had been sent for.

The remaining three Evangelions moved to surround Unit-02 while it struggled with the Unit below it. Asuka saw them approaching and looked down at the one she was standing on.

"Let me go!" she demanded.

Unit-02 pulled its arm free and pushed the white Evangelion's sword away with the knife in her other hand. Immediately, Asuka used the opening and stomped on the Eva's face with Unit-02's right foot.

The Evangelion struggled beneath Unit-02's foot. It tried to push back the red Evangelion, but it was overwhelmed. Unit-02 delivered another stomp, crushing its head and causing it to go silent.

"That's one down," Asuka said with pride.

She looked at the three approaching her and then at the sword left behind by the one she had defeated.

Unit-02 grabbed the sword and exited the lake. Asuka growled as she pushed on and made a charge at the right Evangelion.

Unit-09 was the target of Asuka's charge. It raised its sword and blocked her attack, but was pushed back by the force of the impact. It was impressed by the red one's strength. They did not expect this kind of resistance.

Unit-02 pulled back its sword and swung again, but was again blocked by Unit-09. Asuka roared and swung the sword down hard, which was again blocked. The impact of their swords threw Unit-02's back into the air and 90's down to the ground. Asuka felt the weight of the sword in Unit-02's hands and followed its momentum as she swung it around before the other could recover.

Unit-09 couldn't defend itself in time to block Unit-02 effectively. It's sword was deflected away, leaving it completely open, and Unit-02 quickly brought its sword down, stabbing the white Evangelion through the chest.

Asuka twisted the sword in Unit-02's hands, getting a sense of satisfaction as the blood burst out of the Evangelion's chest. She released the sword and grabbed the one in the now limp Evangelion's hand.

Before she could lift the sword, however, one of the remaining two white Units tackled her. Asuka struggled to push the white Evangelion off of her Unit-02 and gasped as a shadow fell over them.

Unit-08 had leapt into the air and was bringing its sword down towards Unit-02. Asuka was helpless to escape under the hold of Unit-06, and barely rolled her head aside in time to avoid having it cut off.

"Damn," Asuka cursed. Instinctually, she kicked Unit-02's foot upward into Unit-06's crotch, as if she were fighting a person.

At the lack of a response, Asuka growled and kicked with the same foot repeatedly, until 06's grip slackened. Asuka seized the opportunity and threw off the Evangelion with both feet. She then quickly put Unit-02 into a roll away from Unit-08, who was swinging its sword at her again. Asuka quickly swung her own sword and parried the Eva's attack.

The two traded blows until they became locked. The two Evangelions pushed their swords against each other, ripping the ground apart as they dug their feet in and tried to overwhelm each other. Asuka willed her Unit-02 to push harder, and extended its arms as she slowly pushed the other down to its knees.

Unit-08 appeared to whimper as it lost the battle of strength to Unit-02. It struggled now to keep the Red Eva's sword from pushing closer, as it was already coming down on its throat.

Kaworu watched his brothers fight with Unit-02. He was impressed at the pilot's skill, but always knew his brothers would under perform with the dummy plugs, even if they were made of the same parts as he was. He didn't expect them to win with the chains still on. They were, after all, just babies.

"Impressive for a lilin," Kaworu mused. "Very well, let's see how far you've come along..."

Kaworu closed his eyes and extended his AT-Field. He enveloped himself and the other Evangelions within it, and reached out with his mind to Unit-02.

Asuka suddenly felt something holding her back. Unit-02 felt sluggish, and she was having difficulty maintaining control.

"What the Hell?" she asked.

"The Angel's AT-Field is interfering with Asuka's synchronization with Unit-02!" Maya's voice blurted over the com.

Asuka struggled under this strange attack, focusing as hard as she could. Still, she found that control was becoming harder and harder, until she eventually lost all sense of the presence of Unit-02.

"No," Asuka protested. "Don't leave me."

"Synchronization has ceased!" Maya shouted on the com.

"What about the nerve links?" Misato asked.

"All nerve connections are active," Maya reported. "It's like there's some kind of... barrier blocking the pilot from contact with Unit-02!"

"I'm reading activity from the two defeated Evangelions," Hyuga said.

Asuka watched as the other two Evangelions approached. Behind her, Unit-07 crawled out of the lake, somehow managing to have regenerated its head. The fourth white Evangelion, Unit-09, also began to move again. It pulled the sword from its chest and Asuka watched in horror as the hole slowly sealed.

"Oh crap," Asuka exclaimed. "Shit!"

She was surrounded, and Unit-02 refused to move. Asuka clicked the control arms repeatedly while shouting for it to move.

"Move, damn it!" Asuka cried. "I don't want to die here like this! Move! Come on! You said you'd protect me!"

The four white Evangelions surrounded Unit-02 and raised their swords together. Asuka stared at them in fear and watched their mouths curl into evil grins. In this moment of absolute fear, Asuka cried out with everything she had.

"Save me!" she screamed

Unit-02's eyes glowed bright green and suddenly came back to life. As the blades came down upon it, it brought up its AT-Field and formed a tight shell that deflected them. Asuka felt the presence of Unit-02 surround her once more, and her eyes were glowing a bright blue.

**- x -**

"Synchronization re-established," Maya reported. There was a moment of silence as she waited for the graphs to come in, and then she gasped. "Oh no... It's passed the 100% threshold! The pilot is descending into the core!"

"But that means..." Misato said fearfully.

She leaned down to look at Maya's monitor and was horrified when she saw Asuka's entry plug diagram. The cockpit had begun to descend from its normal depth into the core, the heart, of Unit-02.

Misato remembered the last time a pilot's sync ratio had surpassed 100%. Back then, she couldn't see what exactly was happening in the entry plug, as they had left the destroyed command center, but she imagined this was it. Shinji must have descended into the core like Asuka was now. That was the day Shinji was absorbed by Unit-01.

"No, Asuka!" Misato cried into the com.

**- x -**

Asuka didn't hear Misato through the com as she felt her body fill with energy. She was pissed.

"AT-Field... maximum!" Asuka yelled.

Unit-02's AT-Field spread violently, throwing the four white Units away. Asuka breathed heavily as she glared at the Evangelions with new found fury. She glanced over at the clock, noting that she had 2 minutes and 47 seconds left.

"You had your chance," she said. "Now you're dead!"

Unit-02's jaws opened and the Evangelion roared. It's real eyes glowed brightly as it activated the dreaded beast mode that Unit-01 had exhibited so many times.

"Unit-02 is going berserk!" Maya shouted. "Pilot psycho graph can no longer be analyzed!"

"No, Asuka!" Misato yelled. "There's no telling what'll happen to you!"

"I will win!" Asuka declared.

Kaworu watched all this without the slightest sign of emotion.

"So, Unit-02 has found its soul," he said in contemplation. "Very well."

Kaworu looked at his four brothers and opened his mind to them. The four Evangelion cried out for release.

"Be free, my brothers," Kaworu said. "Reveal the beast."

Together, the four white Evangelions roared and hunched down on all fours. They dropped their swords and began to move strangely, more animal than machine. Their bodies seemed to struggle under some kind of stress, and their mouths began to drool as they showed their teeth.

"There's strange readings coming from the other Evangelions," Hyuga reported. "It looks like they may be going berserk as well."

"Four bestial Evangelions?" Misato asked in wonder. "Asuka! Abort the mission!" She ordered. "Get back here!"

Asuka ignored Misato's orders. She charged, running with speed that wasn't possible in a shackled Evangelion. She felt more alive than she ever had before within the Evangelion, as if she was the beast itself.

Unit-06 returned the charge, roaring like a wild beast as it collided with the Red Evangelion. The two struggled against each other, gripping each others' hands tightly in a deadly game of mercy.

Asuka could feel the Evangelions hands against hers. The force of its arms pushing on her. She fought back, and Unit-02 slowly overpowered Unit-06. As Asuka felt her gaining leverage, she twisted the other Unit's hands, snapping its wrists.

Unit-06 cried in pain and attempted to bite Unit-02's neck. It lashed again and again with its mouth, but was held away at arm's length by the red Eva. Unit-02 then suddenly brought its knee up, apparently shattering the other Eva's jaw as it collided with its chin.

Asuka kicked Unit-06 away and spun around as she felt Unit-07 coming. She dodged the Evangelion as it tried to pounce on her and kneed it in the chin as well, but only stunned it.

Unit-07 roared from the blow. It rolled back onto all fours and leapt at Unit-02. It tackled the red Evangelion, and attempted to bite its neck, but Asuka was able to push it away.

She quickly got Unit-02 back on its feet and punched Unit-07 as it stumbled backwards. It started to fall down, but Asuka caught it and pulled it towards her to punch it again and again.

Unit-07 lashed its arms wildly to fight back, clawing at Unit-02 like an animal. It eventually was able to watch Unit-02's fist and planted its feet squarely to push back against it.

Asuka pushed back against the other Evangelion and growled. The two Evas faces came close as they wrestled, baring their teeth and roaring. Asuka felt her rage consume her and let it control her actions. She would kill them all.

**- x -**

"Asuka's synchronization ratio is surpassing 140%!" Maya shouted. "The cockpit is descending deeper into the core!"

"Damn it, Asuka!" Misato cried. "Don't you remember what happened to Shinji?"

_This is bad, _Fuyutsuki thought.

The commander had been watching the battle unfold, and things were not progressing well. Asuka was on the verge of losing herself, and SEELE's Evangelions revealed that they could utilize their bestial forms.

_SEELE is more desperate than we thought._

"Send me out!" Shinji suddenly said through the com.

"What?" Misato asked.

"Send me in Unit-01!" Shinji repeated himself. "Asuka will be lost!"

"No," Fuyutsuki said before anyone else could answer. "Unit-01 remains in cryo stasis."

"But she's almost out of power!" Shinji argued.

Fuyutsuki didn't give Shinji an argument, instead returning his attention to the battle on the view screen. He knew Shinji was right, and that Unit-01 would be better off in battle than sitting in its cage. As he continued to contemplate his options, he watched the bestial Unit-02 continue its relentless assault on the four other Evangelions.

**- x -**

Asuka continued to push against Unit-07. The two were fighting like wrestlers, but this was no act. Feeling that they were at a stale mate, Asuka changed her strategy and pulled back on her control arms.

At once, Unit-02 head butted the white Evangelion, sending it reeling backwards. With the deadlock over, Unit-02 quickly fell after the stunned Eva as it spun around, leaving its back exposed. Asuka quickly dropped onto the defenseless Eva and wrapped an arm around its throat and locked it with Unit-02's other arm, attempting to choke it.

Unit-07 was helpless under the grip of Unit-02. It tried in vain to pull its throat free from Unit-02's arms, but could not break the hold.

Asuka laughed to herself as she choked the life out of Unit-07. She felt the rush of victory as she heard a loud cracking sound. Unit-07's throat had finally been crushed by Unit-02. The white Eva croaked and spasmed for a second before going limp in Unit-02's arms.

Unit-02 lifted the limp Unit-07 over its head triumphantly. It held it over its head as if to ask who else dared challenge it, and there were two others that were all too eager to oblige the taunt.

Asuka turned to see another Eva charging at her. "Come and get it!" she screamed with twisted joy. She twisted Unit-02 around and threw Unit-07 at the attacker.

The Eva couldn't dodge the large body of Unit-07 as it was thrown against it. Instead, it lowered down onto all fours and charged right through Unit-07, bouncing it off of its shoulder harmlessly. It then lunged at Unit-02, crying wildly.

Asuka returned the cry and met the Evangelion's lunging attack with her own.

The two Evangelions smashed into each other and traded blows as they fought viciously. The two swung their arms wildly, each trying to overpower the other.

Asuka groaned and roared as she blocked and dodged the other Eva's attacks and delivered her own in kind. She punched and clawed at the White Eva, not caring where or how she did the damage. she only wanted to rip the white beast apart.

The white Eva fought as best it could, but it couldn't keep up its defenses. Unit-02 was slowly landing more and more blows on it as it struggled under the sheer force of the attacks. This continued until the Eva was overcome, and Unit-02 began to pummel it.

Asuka shouted her rage as she pummeled the defenseless Eva beneath her. She punched and tore at the armor with Unit-02, causing blood to squirt out of the newly made wounds. When she finally stopped, the white Eva had become a lifeless corpse covered in its own blood with Unit-02 standing over it, victorious.

Unit-02 stood with its hands and arms covered in the defeated Eva's blood. Asuka was panting slightly from the vigorous battle she had just gone through, but she knew she couldn't rest. In the distance beyond the silent Eva, the last of the four bestial mass production Evas was gnashing its jaws, preparing for its turn.

"You're the last one," Asuka said grimly as she glared through her glowing eyes at the target. "Let's do it!" she cried as she clicked her control arms forward.

Immediately, Unit-02 roared and began running at the other Eva. The white Evangelion roared back and rushed towards them in kind.

Asuka shouted as she ran at the Evangelion. She lowered her shoulder and rammed into the white Eva.

The white Eva gripped onto Unit-02's armor, trying to rip it off as it was carried backwards by the still charging Evangelion. It succeeded in grasping the Eva's left shoulder pylon, and tore it off before tossing it aside.

Asuka felt Unit-02's pylon being torn like her shoulder had its skin ripped off. She grimaced in pain and suddenly stopped charging forward, causing the other Eva to suddenly fly off of her.

"You can have the other one while you're at it, you bastard!" Asuka shouted.

Unit-02 leaned forward and opened its remaining pylon to reveal the spike launcher. It fired three spikes square into the other Eva's chest, eliciting a cry of pain. While it was still stunned, Asuka slammed the other Eva into a defensive barrier at the edge of the city. She then gripped the spikes and pulled open the Eva's chest to reveal its S2 engine, which she grabbed and began to crush.

The Eva roared in pain as Unit-02 started to crush the engine, spraying blood all over it and the defensive barrier. Asuka only gripped down harder.

**- x -**

Everyone had been watching the battle unfold in stunned silence. Bestial Evangelions were always something that awed them, but to see five of them fighting each other was completely unnerving. It was an all too real display of the monsters humanity had created. Their ferocity a symbol of how powerless they were to contain their own creations.

As they saw Unit-02 charge into the defensive barrier, Misato snapped out of her stare and realized that they had an opening.

"She's reached the city," she said. "Open the nearest power station!"

"Roger!" Aoba said. "Opening power station forty-seven."

"Asuka! Get the power cable!" Misato barked into the com.

There was no response, however, and Unit-02 continued to fight on as if Misato's messages hadn't gone through.

"She can still hear us, right?" Misato asked.

"Affirmative," Maya replied. "Two way communication is still functioning. But, major... Her readings... they're not normal. I can't explain it, but I don't think she's actually aware of anything outside of the battle."

"Damn it..." Misato hissed through clenched teeth. She was watching the battle with a nervous feeling now. The clock was ticking, and there was nothing any of them could do.

**- x -**

Asuka didn't hear Misato, as the order came through the com. She had been completely consumed by the battle. There was no cockpit, or machine. To her, it was her body that was moving, fighting. Asuka was truly becoming one with Unit-02.

Unit-02 lifted the limp Evangelion with one arm and threw it backwards into the lake. It landed beneath the floating Unit-05 and a stoic Kaworu.

"So, you're that determined," he said.

Kaworu could sense the young pilot's rage and how in tune she was with Unit-02. He was amazed at how quickly she was able to achieve this kind of bond, but was also interested to see how far she would take it. He knew it wouldn't be much further before there was no turning back.

_Come to me, child, _Kaworu thought gleefully.

Asuka saw the floating Unit-05 on the other side of the lake and cried out in anger. She leapt at it in Unit-02, which roared loudly. It collided with Unit-05's AT-Field, slamming harmlessly into a hexagon of light, and sprang off it back onto solid ground.

"Damn," Asuka cursed. She blenched both of her hands into fists as she eyed the formation of hexagons that made up the Angel's AT-Field. "I'll tear you down!"

Asuka leapt Unit-02 even higher this time, colliding against the AT-Field again, but at an angle from above. Now standing on the AT-Field, Unit-02 start to claw at it, ripping and tearing at the layers of the barrier.

**- x -**

"Unit-02 is breaking through the Angel's AT-Field!" Hyuga reported.

"How's Asuka?" Misato asked. She could care less about the battle at this point. They still had Unit-01, and losing Asuka would be too high a cost for victory. She was only worried about saving Asuka, now.

"Synchronization approaching 150%," Maya reported. "Ma'am, there's no telling what will happen if she goes any further. We've only witnessed this kind of activity a couple of times, but Ritsuko always stressed the dangers of surpassing the 100% threshold."

"Yes, I know," Misato said grimly. She too had witnessed one of those said events, and it lead to a very emotionally burdened month. "How much longer?"

"Unit-02 has only thirty seconds of power left," Hyuga reported.

"Then there's no way..." Misato said sadly. She didn't see how Asuka could defeat this Angel with thirty seconds of power remaining.

Fuyutsuki also saw the inevitable counting down. He had hoped Asuka and Unit-02 would have been enough, but with the pilot consumed by the bestial connection, she had neglected to reconnect the external power cable. He knew there was only one option now.

"Take Unit-01 out of cryo-stasis," he said with a tone of defeat.

"Sir?" Misato asked. She wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

"You heard me," he answered, sounding more firm now. "Remove Unit-01 from cryo-stasis and launch it immediately."

"Yes, sir," Misato said. She was relieved to have the freeze on Unit-01 raised. They needed it now. "You heard the commander."

"Aye!" the three lieutenants answered. They immediately began the unfreezing process on Unit-01 while the major watched the continuing battle.

"Draining the third cage," Aoba reported.

"Performing check of all primary systems," Maya said.

"Releasing locks on the arms and legs," Hyuga said.

Misato didn't speak as the three computer techs continued their work. Instead, she watched as Unit-02 continued to strip away at the Angel's AT-Field. Surprisingly, the Angel hadn't offered any resistance. It was standing there calmly, as if waiting to see if the Eva could really do it. Misato only hoped that Asuka would survive this with her humanity intact.

**- x -**

Asuka roared as she tore at the AT-Field with Unit-02. She felt a rush each time she tore a layer, getting ever closer to the Angel that just stood there, gazing at her with that eyeless face. It was as if it was mocking her efforts.

"Damn you!" Asuka shouted. "Damn you!"

Unit-02 continued to rip through Unit-05's AT-Field, piece by piece. The hexagons moved to reinforce the area the Eva was attacking, forming new layers of shielding. Kaworu remained calm as he watched the layers fracture under the assault. He was ready for whatever might happen.

"Yes," he said. "Keep going. You're almost there."

Asuka could see her goal within reach. She had penetrated the AT-Field so deeply she was mere meters away now. Each blow brought her closer, and she was sure the next would be the last. Finally, she pierced the final layer with her right hand and gripped the AT-Field. She then punched her left hand through the hole she had made and began to pull the field apart, like a monster ripping apart a steel wall.

"You're mine!" Asuka hissed as she continued to pull the AT-Field open.

The hole in the field continued to grow until Unit-02 managed to extend its arms at its sides completely. The AT-Field suddenly shattered apart and vanished, leaving the Angel defenseless to Unit-02. Asuka felt her and her Evangelion start to drop down from the loss of the AT-Field beneath them, but they were suddenly stopped by something grabbing them.

Asuka yelped as the cockpit shook, and she looked up to see what had happened.

"What?" Asuka looked to see that two of the white Evas she had defeated had regenerated again, and each was holding one of Unit-02's arms.

Together, the two Evas pulled Unit-02 back and away from Unit-05. The AT-Field regenerated instantly, surrounding the Angel and recovering dozens of layers of shielding.

To Asuka's dread, her time had also run out. She watched the clock hit zero, and felt Unit-02's presence vanish in an instant. The cockpit made the familiar sound of shutting down, and her screen went blank.

"Oh crap," Asuka said. She felt extremely weak, now that the presence of Unit-02 had left her body. Also gone was the fire that was burning so brightly within her heart and mind, leaving behind a scared girl in the silent cockpit.

Kaworu gave Unit-02 a small smile as his brothers dragged the limp Evangelion back from him.

"Pity," he said. "You were so close."

The two Evangelions carried Unit-02 past Unit-05 and back towards the mountains on the far side of the lake.

Asuka cried wildly as she clicked the control arms repeatedly in the darkened plug. She couldn't believe she hadn't won the battle, and was willing the Eva to move, but it would not respond.

Kaworu gazed at the silent red Eva with indifference in his eyes. The girl had put up a good fight, even showing him she was willing to push the limits of her soul. Whatever it was she was fighting for, he had decided she felt strongly for it. The mysteries of the human heart was not why he was there though, and Kaworu decided it was time to force the issue he had in mind.

"I've waited long enough, Shinji Ikari," he said while looking at the still silent city. "Come, and bring forth what was promised!"

Unit-05 turned to face Unit-02 as it was carried away and opened its mouth. The white beast gave an eerie roar as it had earlier. A ball of light formed in its jaws and Kaworu sent his cross beam at Unit-02. The cross shape explosion consumed the Evangelion, and the two that had been carrying it let go and flew away. As the explosion cleared, Unit-02 came crashing down onto the ground.

**- x -**

"Unit-02's reached the operation limit!" Maya shouted. "It's gone silent!"

"God damn it!" Misato cursed. "How the Hell do those things keep regenerating? She even crushed one of their S2 engines this time!"

"Unknown" Aoba said. "It would seem SEELE's been doing some secret research. Not even the Angels could recover that fast."

"We're getting an energy reading from the Angel!" Hyuga suddenly shouted. "It's charging up again!"

"Oh no, Asuka!" Misato cried.

Everyone gasped at the sight of Unit-05 hitting Unit-02 with the cross beam.

Without an AT-Field, the Evangelion and its pilot were completely defenseless against such an attack. The Evangelion was completely consumed by the light of the explosion, and then dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"Report!" Misato shouted.

"Unit-02's received heavy damage," Hyuga said. "Front armor on the chest and torso has been obliterated."

"The pilot's psycho graph is coming in again," Maya reported. She was quiet for a moment and gave a sigh of relief. "Asuka's brain reads normal. Other life signs read within tolerable limits."

"Thank god," Misato said. "What about the entry plug? Is its reserve power still up?"

"Yes ma'am," Maya reported. "Life support and communications are still functional."

"Good, keep the com open," Misato said.

"Yes ma'am," Maya replied. "The pilot can now hear us."

"Asuka, are you alright?" Misato asked into the com.

There was a moment of silence before Asuka's voice came echoing back through the command center.

"Do I look alright?" Asuka asked sarcastically. "I can't see or hear anything in here! I'm completely defenseless!"

"We know," Misato said.

"Well... get that idiot out here!" Asuka demanded. Her voice was unsteady as she referred to Shinji.

"We're working on that," Misato replied She was trying to remain calm, but couldn't prevent her agitated tone.

"What is the status of Unit-01?" Fuyutsuki suddenly said from behind the others.

He had been watching this past minute go by under constant contemplation over his orders. Unit-02's defeat had been inevitable, but he was still nervous about sending Unit-01 to the very beasts that had come to take it. Still, there were no other options. He had no choice. He just hoped Shinji and Unit-01 would survive long enough for Gendo Ikari's plan.

"I want it launched now!" he exclaimed.

"Unfreezing is complete," Hyuga reported. "Unit-01 is now being moved from the third cage to the launch pad."

"The pilot's charts read normal," Maya reported. "Harmonics are reading clear and synchronization is steady at 97%."

"Well, at least he's rediscovered his focus," Misato said. She was worried his ratio would still be low, which would not be good given the situation.

"All systems read green," Aoba said. "Unit-01's S2 organ is functioning."

"Alright, Shinji," Misato said into the com. "We're counting on you. Save Asuka."

"You don't have to worry," Shinji said. He sounded more serious than he usually did. For once, Shinji was speaking with conviction. "I'll bring her back."

Shinji had been listening helplessly to the battle unfold for the past five minutes. He had been holding his breath as he heard the situation get worse and worse, until finally he was ready to snap. When he heard Fuyutsuki finally give the order to unfreeze Unit-01, he was breathing heavily, and feeling tense all over.

As Unit-01 exited the cage and moved to the elevator, Shinji began to take deep breaths. He slowly released his tension and focused his mind. He would do it this time, he thought to himself. Things would be different than the last few battles where he was helpless to save the others when they were in danger. He had failed Rei, but he would be damned if he failed Asuka.

"I've been regretful for a while now," Shinji said openly. He was speaking more to the Eva than himself. "So much tragedy has happened, because I was powerless to do anything. This is my chance."

Shinji looked up towards the out of sight head of Unit-01. He could feel that familiar feeling of the Eva surrounding him, covering him with its warmth.

"I am with you, Unit-01" Shinji said.

The feeling of the Eva seemed to warm slightly at Shinji's words, and he got another sense of familiarity. It was a feeling he only vaguely remembered from a time long ago. It was a feeling that gave him contentment, and safety.

_Mother..._ Shinji thought.

Shinji thought about this feeling he was getting as the cockpit shook from arriving at the elevator launch pad. He had been getting this strange sensation ever since he was absorbed into Unit-01 during the battle with the 14th Angel. He had always felt it, but before then, it wasn't strong enough for him to put words to it. Ever since then, he had wondered why it was there, and his conclusion was always the same. Still, Shinji wasn't sure if he could accept that. It made no sense to him, and yet, in his gut, it felt right.

"Prepare for launch," Misato's voice said through the com.

Shinji sat back in the cockpit and cleared his mind of what he was thinking about. There would be another time to contemplate this sensation he felt whenever he was in Unit-01. For now, he would focus on something more important.

_I'm coming, Asuka,_ he thought to himself. He was determined to not fail in saving her like he had with Rei.

"Unit-01 is secure in the second catapult," Aoba said over the com. "Mapping launch route to exit thirty-two."

"Listen to me, Shinji," Fuyutsuki said.

Shinji was surprised to hear the commander speaking to him over the com. The man usually was quiet during mission operations, leaving the orders to Misato. This fact caused the boy to listen closely.

"These Evas... that is to say, SEELE is here for Unit-01," he said.

"What?" Shinji asked, although he hadn't said it into his com. He had heard bits of info about SEELE since coming to Tokyo-3. It was the mysterious organization that funded NERV and the Evas. He didn't understand why they would come like this. Why would they send five Evas to take Unit-01 by force?

"I cannot explain," the man continued. "But, under no circumstances are you to allow them to take Unit-01. Do you understand?"

Shinji was silent for some time as he took in the commander's words. He wondered what was so important about Unit-01 that it would cause SEELE to attack its own ally like this. Still, he would have to worry about that later as well.

"I understand," he said.

"Good luck," Fuyutsuki said.

"Alright," Misato then said over the com. "Launch Unit-01."

At once, Shinji felt the cockpit rumble as Unit-01 was launched up the elevator. He tightened his hand into a fist and then loosened it to the rhythm of his heart beat. As the seconds passed, he felt the Eva shift through several turns as it was directed to a specific exit. When he reached the surface, the cockpit shook to a loud clanking sound.

Shinji looked forward to see the artificial lake that Rei had created with Unit-00. Across, at the far end, was Unit-02 with the five white Evas.

**- x -**

Kaworu watched with satisfaction as Unit-01 finally came into view. He felt his impatience was finally satisfied, and he looked over to his four brothers as they fully regenerated and began to circle the disabled Unit-02 like wolves. That is when Kaworu noticed Unit-02's chest.

"Hmm?" Kaworu hummed in wonder.

The cross beam he had shot the Evangelion with had destroyed its armor, leaving its fleshy body exposed. To his surprise, Kaworu saw a dormant S2 organ in the chest.

"How... interesting," he said in contemplation of this development.

He, as well as the one before him, was told that that the Evangelions were imperfect copies. They were supposed to be heartless, soulless vessels created by imperfect beings. And yet, here he was looking at the very thing that they were supposed to lack. The thing that made them more than mere abominations.

Kaworu laughed at the irony. It would seem that his Evangelions were the true abominations, running on mechanical engines that mimicked the heart he was looking at. He looked up to the sky and smiled in understanding.

"So, you've chosen the second," he said to no one in particular. "Very well then."

By then, the other Evangelions had begun to approach the defenseless Unit-02, looking rather hungry. Kaworu, however, did not want them to continue.

"Leave her," he said to them.

The four Evangelions voiced their protest to the boy, their loud cries echoing in his mind. He suddenly became angered and shut them out.

"I said that is enough!" he shouted.

He did something to the Evas at that point. They all became rigid, and made strange whimpers. Their bodies shook violently and they seemed to straighten until they no longer moved like animals. Kaworu had somehow forced them out of their bestial forms.

The four Evas struggled as they were put back under the restraints of their armor. They cried in argument, but were powerless as Kaworu enforced his will on them. When the transformation was done, they wondered if they were going to fight as well.

"No," Kaworu said. "I will handle him myself." Kaworu's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Just observe, and keep him from reaching the other one."

The four Evas were displeased, but agreed to Kaworu's commands. They spread their wings and took flight, circling the sky over Unit-02 like vultures while watching their master and Unit-01.

"Babies..." Kaworu said to himself. He really wondered how the Lilin got so much joy out of having them. He did not ponder it for long, however, and returned his attention to Unit-01. "At last," Kaworu said happily. "You have come."

The boy looked across the lake through his view screen at the still restrained Unit-01. The feeling of anticipation was filling his body as he prepared to fight the one he had heard so much about.

"Come," Kaworu beckoned Shinji. "Let us find our destinies together."

**To be continued...**

Author's notes: Hope you enjoyed this story's long awaited return to action. As I said before in the last chapter, I wanted to try more standard chapter formats instead of the episodic format I was using to emulate the series. Still accepting feedback on which is better. I may end up going back to the old chapter length, and just removing the half point cuts. Those were what were giving me so much trouble, because I'd end up with uneven halves, or find myself altering things to have better cut off points.

On the Lilin: I do realize that Lilim is the popular spelling, and it falls more in line with the english biblical spellings for divine beings such as Seraphim and Cherubim. The new movies have spelled as Lilin, though, so I just went with it.

On bestial Evas: Evas going bestial is not the same as going berserk. In the new movies, it's a command protocol that releases the restraints. I found that kind of... ridiculous, and opted to make it the result of passing the 100% sync barrier while maintaining control.


	8. 1:8 This is Me

Gendo Ikari waited patiently at base of Lilith's tomb. He was gazing at the giant crucified in the massive chamber with a feeling of anticipation.

Long had he planned for this day. It took over two decades of secret research, cover ups, and unbelievable sacrifice, but it was finally time. After so many years he was ready to fulfill his destiny and be reunited with his beloved Yui.

Gendo turned to the sound of footsteps. Across the walkway, he could see two women approaching. It was Dr. Akagi and Rei.

The two women walked towards Gendo. The older woman was dressed in her usual lab coat while the girl was completely naked. Ritsuko looked rather stoic, as if she didn't really care about what was about to take place, or any consequences to their actions. She stopped a few meters away from Gendo and stood staring at him with her hands in her lab coat pockets.

Behind her, Rei stood with herself partially blocked by Ritsuko, as if she was hiding from Gendo's gaze. Her eyes did not look afraid, however. They looked angry. She knew what was going to happen here, or at least what Gendo was going to try to make happen.

The girl looked over at the silent Lilith. The giant gave her a very strong feeling of beckoning, obviously yearning to become one with the soul that she carried. Rei had several memories of this feeling.

Her past self had seen Lilith a few times, and also experienced these feelings. That Rei had seemed to look at these feelings fondly, as if it meant she was wanted, but this current one felt differently. Something about the idea of being sacrificed carelessly for another person's selfish dream disgusted her. She didn't know how the past two Reis could have been ready to do this so easily. She was revolted at how her past selves minds worked.

Rei returned her gaze at the man standing a few meters away, feeling nothing but disgust at the sight of his face. She remained behind Ritsuko, allowing the older woman to block the view of her naked body.

Ritsuko wasn't surprised when Rei chose to hide behind her. When she had been working with Rei the past few hours the girl had asked her a lot of questions about what was happening, how she felt, and why she didn't get to make the choice herself. It had been a very eye opening conversation for the doctor, as she came to realize how much she allowed herself to be blinded by her own feelings. In the end, Ritsuko told Rei that she was designed for this very purpose, but as a human with a soul, she always had the power of choice.

That is why Ritsuko was prepared for Rei to deny Gendo. That was why Ritsuko was prepared to protect Rei. She too had the power of choice, and the burdens of their actions had become too great for her. She couldn't turn a blind eye any longer. If Rei made the decision Ritsuko was suspecting, she would protect her.

It was strange, she thought, that she would feel so strongly about this. But, thinking about her work for the past ten years, Ritsuko couldn't help but care for Rei as a surrogate mother. She had watched Rei grow and develop as a person more than anyone else. She was her caring doctor, even though the entire time she knew she was just making sure Gendo's vessel was in working order. In her heart though, she wanted this Rei to have the same chance as the last.

Steeling herself, Ritsuko clenched the small pistol in her pocket. She couldn't let her emotions show just yet.

Gendo did not pick up on either woman's feelings or suspect anything was going on. He was too consumed by his joyous anticipation to care about anyone else in the chamber. He looked at Rei, at those angry eyes glaring at him.

"Rei," he said to the girl. He completely ignored the woman standing in front of the young girl. "It is time."

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:8**

**- This Is Me -**

**By: OmegaGear**

In a massive dark chamber, the twelve monoliths of SEELE were joined in a meeting. They were watching the battle between their Eva Series and NERV at their own physical locations, and were pleased at how things were progressing.

"Unit-01 is at last forced to fight," SEELE-06 said happily.

"Our Eva Series have performed marvelously," SEELE-07 remarked. "Spending the extra time researching the active regeneration process has proven pivotal."

"Indeed," SEELE-10 agreed. "However, they only succeeded because Unit-02 ran out of power. Unit-01 does not have that limitation."

"Yes," SEELE-12 said. "The inexperience of our dummy system pilots would seem to be a major problem. Outside of their bestial forms, they were slow and clumsy."

"We needn't worry," SEELE-03 assured the others. "Kaworu will be fighting Unit-01 personally. He will not be so easy to defeat."

"Unit-01 will be ours," SEELE-02 said with grim joy.

The tablets all shared abrief moment of laughter of the events unfolding. They were very pleased to see things going their way, just as they had planned. They did not even worry about the discovery of the dormant S2 organ in Unit-02. They had all seen it through the video feeds from their Eva Series.

"And what of Unit-02?" SEELE08 asked.

"It is an interesting discovery," SEELE-06 noted. "Another sign of Ikari's planned treachery."

"Indeed," SEELE-04 agreed. "We should have kept a closer eye on Ikari as he developed his Evangelions. It appears he's used methods besides those developed along with us."

"It is of little consequence now," SEELE-02 said. "Ikari is out of time to utilize his options. Once we have Unit-01, Unit-02 will not matter."

Indeed, to the members of SEELE, the matter of Unit-02's S2 organ was of little importance. As long as they got Unit-01, they didn't care about the rest. SEELE-01 did not want them to dote on such trivial matters when their main goal was within reach.

"So, Ikari," SEELE-01 said. "You now pit your son against mine. Your chosen Evangelion, false god forged through blasphemy, against our perfected Unit-05. I hope you're ready to accept your failure."

**- x -**

Shinji breathed deep, controlled breaths as his Eva stood restrained to the catapult pad. He was ready and waiting to fight the other Evas and save Unit-02. He was ready to save Asuka at any cost to himself.

The boy stared through his view screen at the five Evangelions on the other side of the lake. The four that Asuka had been fighting were approaching her like animals, but seemed to be forcibly stopped by something. He watched as they howled under some kind of invisible restraint and stood upright. They were all looking at the fifth Eva.

"Get ready, Shinji," Misato said through the com. "Release the locks."

Shinji heard the familiar clank as the giant locks were depressurized and released Unit-01's arms. His Eva bent slightly into a relaxed stance, but Shinji was fast to action.

Immediately, he clicked his control arms forward and sent Unit-01 running through the forest surrounding the lake. He could see four of the Evas circling over Unit-02 like vultures while the fifth, most likely the Angel, was floating nearby looking his way.

"That must be the Angel," Shinji thought out loud. He knew that he would have to defeat that one.

Unit-05 glared at the approaching Unit-01 and its pilot laughed happily. He was sitting with his arms spread wide as if to welcome the boy who meant to kill him. Or kill him again, rather.

"Come, Ikari!" Kaworu cried. "Let us face our destinies!"

Kaworu closed his eyes and spread his AT-Field. He expanded it around his Eva and joined with its own AT-Field. He felt his muscles tug and flinch as the two AT-Fields joined. The transformation was beginning.

With a smile, Kaworu sent an orchestral song blaring through the com channel. Like the boy he was given memories from, he too had taken a liking to humanity's music, although his short existence had resulted in a different taste. Whereas the original Kaworu's 'Ode to Joy' celebrated the union of mankind, this new one preferred Mozart's 'Dies Irae', which foretold of the day of wrath. It was a fitting song for what was coming.

**- x -**

Misato and the others could also hear the music as it was forcibly played on all com channels. Intrusion alarms were going off, as well as an AT-Field warning. The major looked over to Aoba.

"What in the Hell is that?" Misato asked. She wanted to know what was going on with their communications.

"Unknown," Aoba said. "It just started with the appearance of another AT-Field!"

"Another AT-Field?" Misato asked. "From where?"

"Source originates from within Unit-05!" Hyuga said. "Pattern unknown! The Magi are attempting to analyze!"

Hyuga watched the Magi analyzing the new AT-Field, but it suddenly blipped off the screen.

"It's gone!" he reported.

"What? Gone?" Misato asked.

"Wait… negative!" Aoba corrected. The Magi are reporting that the two AT-Fields have... fused into a new, third AT-Field! Pattern confirmed blue!"

"How is that even possible?" Misato asked. "What's going on?"

"Ma'am!" Maya shouted to get the major's attention. "This com intrusion... It appears to be directed specifically to Unit-01's entry plug," she reported.

"What?" Misato asked in disbelief. "How can someone hack a signal to our Evas?"

"I don't know..." Maya said dejectedly. "It should be impossible."

"Unless those Evas use the exact same communication channels," Hyuga said. "It's possible SEELE has copies of our exact specifications.

Misato could believe that, and clenched her fist.

"Major, there's something else," Hyuga said.

"What now?" Misato asked.

"This song," Hyuga said, "doesn't it remind you of when that Angel attacked using Unit-02?"

Misato hadn't actually bothered to recognize what was playing, but a brief moment of listening verified what the lieutenant was saying. The song playing wasn't the same song the 17th Angel had played on NERV's com channels when he committed his assault on Terminal Dogma, but the personal touch was implied.

"No..." Misato said as she realized what was happening. "This can't be happening! There's no way it can be him again!"

The major also remembered what that battle had put Shinji through, and how he came out of it. He had been completely broken, and was only now starting to return to the boy he once was. She didn't want a repeat of that nightmare.

"I want that signal blocked," she hissed. "Cut it off!"

"Roger," Hyuga said. "The Magi are currently working on a counter measure."

Misato was strained as even more alarms and warnings came flashing onto the monitors. She couldn't believe that there was even more trouble piling on top of what was already swamping them. All this, and she was effectively alone in trying to guide them through the chaos.

"There's something happening to the Angel!" Aoba reported.

"There's a massive build up of energy forming within the Evangelion Unit!," Maya said. "It's similar to when an Eva goes berserk!"

Misato returned her attention to the main view screen and saw the now familiar signs of an Evangelion entering its bestial form. She was speechless as the situation was becoming worse and worse.

**- x -**

Unit-05 began to howl wildly as Kaworu's AT-Field joined with its own. Its body shook as it broke through the restraints. Its arms and legs seemed to become bigger. Its jaws revealed razor sharp teeth underneath the metal ones, and it started to drool. Unique to this Eva's bestial form, it sprouted its wings, which split into three separate pairs. The resulting Angel was an intimidating monster.

As it finished its transformation, Unit-01 had just about reached it. The purple Evangelion didn't miss a step at the intrusion on the com, or the other Eva's transformation.

Unit-05 launched itself into the air and towards the rapidly approaching Eva. It came down on the purple Evangelion and the two collided.

Shinji grunted as he felt the Angel smash into him. He stood his ground and pushed against Unit-05 as the two were grasping each other's arms in a wrestling match. For some odd reason, it was giving the boy the strangest feeling of déjà vu. The orchestral music and fighting another Evangelion. The two together gave Shinji a very bad feeling.

Shinji disregarded this strange feeling and continued the fight. Unit-01 raised its right leg and kicked Unit-05 in the chest. The blow caused the Angel to release its hold on Unit-01 and fly backwards. Shinji was quick to follow, but was repelled as the Angel brought up its AT-Field.

Unit-01 rammed into the barrier harmlessly. It brought its hands up to the AT-Field and clawed at the layer of shielding, but was unable to strip it. Behind the field, Unit-05 opened its mouth and charged its cross beam.

"Shinji, look out!" Misato yelled through the com.

Shinji saw it too, but he wasn't fast enough. Just as he was rolling Unit-01 away, the Angel dropped its AT-Field and fired its shot. Shinji tried desperately to raise his own AT-Field to absorb the attack, and was relieved when the explosion surrounded him, but he didn't feel any pain of impact.

As the explosion cleared, Shinji saw the Angel hovering over him and laughter suddenly could be heard.

"What the Hell?" Shinji asked out loud. He could have sworn the laughter had come from the com.

A small box suddenly appeared at the lower right of his cockpit. Within the box was something Shinji couldn't believe. It was a pale skinned boy with silver hair and red eyes. There was no mistaking it. It was Kaworu Nagisa.

"Kaworu!" Shinji said in disbelief.

The boy smiled back.

**- x -**

Misato and the others in the command center also saw the boy through the com screen on their monitors. He was just as he had been back then, smiling with knowing eyes. This time, however, it was slightly different. While back then his eyes were full of one might describe as conviction, these were more condescending. He gave a face of someone that felt superior to those he gazed upon, and it didn't sit well with the major.

Misato looked over to Hyuga and clenched a shaking fist to stay under control as she spoke.

"How the hell is he patching into our video communications?" she asked.

"It seems his Eva uses the same bands and channels," he said. "There's nothing we can do."

"Well, can't you block it?" Misato asked, now showing that she was irritated.

"I'll try," Hyuga said, "but conventional communications blocks aren't being accepted."

Misato growled and looked back up at the main view screen. In the bottom right corner sat the fifth child's smiling face, the face of the 17th Angel.

Bad memories of the day the Angel made it all the way to Lilith's feet came flooding back. Humanity had never been so close to extinction before, and now they could all feel that same dread at the sight on the screen.

**- x -**

Shinji stared at the boy laughing in the com screen. He couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible that Kaworu was here. Shinji had killed the boy himself. He remembered the heart wrenching decision to crush the boy, the 17th Angel, with Unit-01's hand and end his assault on NERV. It had been the hardest decision he ever made, since Kaworu had been his only friend he could confide in at that time.

"What's the matter, Ikari?" Kaworu asked. He was smiling at Shinji through the com screen, looking completely unlike the calm boy that Shinji remembered. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

With that, Unit-05 fired another shot at Unit-01. Shinji braced himself as the explosion hit his AT-Field and the cockpit shook violently. He did not move however, as he was still in shock at seeing his long lost friend.

Again, the Angel fired its cross beam against Unit-01's AT-Field. Kaworu watched as the Eva stood there helplessly behind its shield and then down at his com screen at the boy. He had the look of a deer in the head lights.

"I expected more from you, Shinji Ikari," Kaworu said. "I heard of how great you were. How you defeated the rest of my kind and placed humanity alone at the top of the pedestal."

Shinji didn't answer. He was still sorting through his confused feelings over seeing the other boy. He knew it couldn't be the real Kaworu. Unlike with Rei, he had seen the teenager's death up close and personally did it. When Rei sacrificed Unit-00, he didn't see anything but an explosion. There was room for hope.

At the thoughts of Rei, Shinji realized what this boy was. He was looking at a clone. Some sick and twisted experiment conducted by SEELE.

Shinji shook off his shock and returned to battle with newfound resolve. He lunged at Unit-05 and tackled it, bringing them both crashing down to the ground. He then grabbed Unit-05's throat with both of his hands and started to strangle it.

"You..." Shinji hissed through the com. "You're not Kaworu!"

"Now, there's something we agree on," the other boy said joyfully.

Unit-05 pushed its arms up between Unit-01s and pushed against them. Slowly, it forced Unit-01 to lose its grip on its neck. The two continued to struggle against each other, with Unit-05 gradually gaining ground. The Angel pushed Unit-01's arms open wider and wider, until finally it could get its foot up and kick it off.

Unit-01 flew onto its back and Shinji groaned. He had felt the kick on his own chest, and found himself slightly winded. He got Unit-01 back on its feet as Unit-05 did the same.

The other pilot smiled at Shinji through the com screen.

"That is a lilin name given by foolish lilin," he said. "I am Tabris."

Shinji felt anger burn in his chest at hearing that name. The Kaworu that he had gotten to know never referred to himself by his Angel name, even after he had revealed his true nature. To Shinji, it was a symbol of Kaworu's understanding of humanity, and something he had a profound abundance of. This other one seemed to disregard those same people without a care. It was insulting to Shinji's memory.

"You bastard!" he cried.

Unit-05 stood there with its blank grin. It mirrored its pilot's own smile. It was amused, and twisted.

Shinji looked to his right and saw one of the dual sided swords the other Evas had dropped. He grabbed it and twirled it in Unit-01's hands before assuming a defensive posture.

Unit-05 raised its hand and summoned its own sword from where it had dropped it. The Angel gripped the handle tightly and swung at Unit-01.

Shinji easily blocked the attack and gave his own by spinning the sword around when following through. Tabris anticipated this, however, and blocked Shinji just as easily.

The red eyed boy was enjoying this battle. It was everything he had hoped it would be. His opponent's resolve was strong, which is what he needed it to be. Tabris knew that Shinji was the one.

Shinji grunted as his attacks were repeatedly blocked. The impacts of the massive blades were causing tremors in his arms, and wearing him out slowly, but he wouldn't give up. After a short moment to catch his breath, Shinji resumed the offensive, slashing and blocking with his weapon as he pressed the Angel back.

Tabris responded with an even display of savagery, holding his ground against the Evangelion. The two giants remained there, attacking and parrying each other, ripping the earth around them apart.

**- x -**

Ritsuko waited patiently as Gendo beckoned for Rei. The girl remained behind the other woman, appearing to be in deep thought.

Gendo didn't like to be kept waiting, especially now. He reached out with his left hand and called for the girl again.

"Come to me, Rei," he said.

Rei still did not respond. She remained there staring at the man calling to her. His voice sounded so cold to her, as if he didn't have a heart. Rei searched her mind. She dug through all of her memories from her past lives; the stories they told. She reflected on how the second Rei understood her purpose, and worked diligently for the man standing before her. She thought she was important, loved. She believed in this man's vision, and his goal.

That is how her past self felt, but not her. Seeing these events in her mind now, she could look at them with an unbiased eye. She could see through the man's kindness, and into the darkness that seemed to consume him as he got closer to his goal. She saw how he had become blinded to his promise to his wife, Yui, the very woman he hoped to return to today.

Then there were the other memories. Memories of this man's son that brought out the strangest feelings within her. These memories perplexed the past Rei as much as they did herself, but she could see something the other could not. No matter what the feelings meant, they changed Rei forever. From the day onward, she had stopped being a doll, and begun to be a person with a soul.

A soul. Her soul. Rei's soul was Lilith's. Rei could feel it reaching out for its own body, but at the same time it filled her with life. She knew that if she went with the man now, all would be answered. She and Gendo Ikari would join together with Adam and Lilith, and become a living god.

A living God. To know all. To understand all. Rei wanted to understand everything she knew in her memories. She wanted to know the meaning behind her feelings surrounding the people in her life. That is something she could have, and more, if she returned to Lilith and joined with Adam. That did not, however, give her an impression of satisfaction.

Rei didn't want to acquire this knowledge by joining with others. She also did not want to become one of many that would create a single being. Without a soul to call her own, Rei wondered if she'd even still exist within that entity.

Rei made her decision and took a step closer to Ritsuko. She was now barely pressed up against the woman's back, holding onto her left arm.

Ritsuko felt Rei's advancement and understood what she meant to do. Had she decided otherwise, she would have chosen to go to Gendo Ikari. Ritsuko tensed slightly at what she was about to do, but had already come to terms with it.

Gendo noticed that Rei had gotten closer to Ritsuko, and was wondering what was going on. He didn't understand why Rei appeared to be hiding from him, and why Ritsuko was so silent and still. They both knew this day would come, and were here willingly. He shrugged it off, however, and decided he'd just go to Rei himself.

The commander took a step forward, but suddenly stopped as Ritsuko pulled a small gun from her coat pocket.

Ritsuko held the gun firmly in her right hand while holding Rei back with her left. She had Gendo squarely in her sights.

"That's far enough," she said.

**- x -**

Shinji cried into his swings as he continued his battle with the Angel Tabris in Unit-05. Despite his best efforts, the boy found his opponent to be his equal in every way, plus the added bonus of having a cross beam. Unit-05 was as fast and strong as Unit-01, and Tabris' skills in combat seemed to be as honed as Shinji's. Shinji, however, had an edge on the other boy in that he was driven to win no matter what.

Feeling that drive pumping through his arms, Shinji thrust his sword upwards with both hands. The force of this block deflected Unit-05's attack and threw its arms up into the air. Seeing his chance, Shinji kicked the Angel in the torso with the heel of his foot and went running for Unit-02 and Asuka.

"I'm coming, Asuka!" He said through the com.

"Well, it's about time!" She yelled back. Her tone did nothing to hide her annoyance with the situation.

Shinji had just about reached the fallen Evangelion when the other mass production models came crashing down on him.

"Damn!" Shinji cursed under his breath.

The boy quickly dodged the group of Evas to the side as the slammed onto the ground. They quickly mobbed him, grabbing him by the arms and pulling him back, away from Unit-02. Away from Asuka.

"No!" Shinji protested. "Let me go you bastards!"

Shinji struggled to break free of the Evas. He still had his sword in his left hand and devised a plan. He turned to his left as best he could under the hold of the four Evas and then quickly to his right. The motion caused the sword to trip the two holding his left side, effectively freeing it. He then raised the sword with his free arm and cut down the Eva holding his right at the shoulder.

The Eva that was holding his right arm yowled as the bled cut into its shoulder plating. Since the attack was done haphazardly with one arm, there wasn't enough force to cut through the armor, but it still pierced the flesh and caused blood to spray. In pain, the Eva released Unit-01's arm and fell to the ground.

Shinji felt his right arm go free and looked at the last Eva that was holding him by the shoulder and torso. He released his progressive knife in his left pylon and took it in his right hand. With one smooth upward thrust, he drove the blade into the Eva's jaw until it came out the top of its head. As it released its grip, Shinji used his hold on the knife to throw it down to the ground.

Finally free, Shinji looked to where Unit-02 was, and frowned. Unit-05 was standing between him and the red Eva.

"I should have expected as much," he muttered.

The other four Evas got to their feet. They were growling at Unit-01, but made no move to attack. Instead, they spread their wings and returned to the sky, back to watching the battle.

Shinji watched the Evas fly away, a bit surprised that they would retreat now. His wonder was answered by the boy on his com screen.

"How very un-sportsman like," Tabris said.

"What?" Shinji asked.

"You're going for the prize before the battle is won," Tabris said.

Shinji didn't say anything. He was glaring at the six winged Evangelion standing between him and Unit-02. He was feeling anger at Tabris' treatment of this as some kind of game.

"You sick bastard," he hissed.

Shinji clicked the control arms forward and lunged at the Angel.

Tabris smiled in his cockpit and also clicked his control arms forward.

The two Evas smashed into each other, swords clashing. Shinji pushed his control arms with all of his might as he glared into the face of Unit-05, his enemy.

_My enemy!_ Shinji thought to himself. He focused on this singular thought, one he had often used in battle against the Angels. His concentrations drowned out the rest of the world around him, and Shinji gave a battle cry. He would destroy this Angel.

**- x -**

Ritsuko stood with her gun pointed at Gendo Ikari. A moment had passed since she pulled it on him, stopping him from advancing towards Rei. The girl in question was still standing behind the doctor, holding her left arm nervously.

Gendo didn't speak. He stood there as calm as he always was. He always had that look of calm on his face, as if he was in control of the situation, no matter how wrong it may have seemed to be.

Ritsuko could see that look in his eyes. That look he always had behind those tinted glasses. It was the look of absolute certainty he always had, as if it didn't matter what anyone else did. He was so sure of himself and his planning. He always believed he had accounted for every contingency, every possible factor, and often spoke of that cryptically. Gendo, however, lacked the foresight for one factor.

It was something he could no longer understand, and Ritsuko was also close to being just as blind. That day she revealed the clones of Rei to Shinji and Misato was when she almost stepped into that abyss. She had taken them there with the intent of revealing the depths of Gendo's madness and then destroy his work with the press of a button. They were empty husks, after all. Soulless vessels created as backups.

In the end, however, Ritsuko couldn't do it. She was standing there, reveling in the silence of that chamber when she heard someone crying. She remembered looking at Shinji, who had a hand to his chest and was fighting to stop his tears.

Ritsuko had asked him why he would cry for these animals, and her tone was just as cold as the words. What he said next is what had changed her mind.

"Because this means Rei really did die," he had said. "Rei died to save me."

That statement had shocked Ritsuko. She had never even considered Rei's sacrifice as a death. She remembered vividly how she discovered the remains with a quarantine team and told them to destroy everything. She remembered melting down the body in this very chamber to transfer the soul of Lilith to the next vessel, like changing the battery of a tool. Not once had she even considered that a life had ended.

At that realization, Ritsuko also came to contemplate a life that may have begun. Was it her right to prevent potential lives from existing? No, she thought. And so, she put down the button, and left the chamber with the other two she had brought down.

Yes, Ritsuko remembered that fateful day. That was the day she began to see things clearly again, and was why she knew Gendo wouldn't see this coming. He was a master of calculated scenarios and manipulation of tangible factors. The human heart, and the soul it holds, however, could not be predicted. And just as Ritsuko thought, Rei's heart was not going with Ikari.

Ritsuko brushed away the memory as she continued to watch Gendo Ikari. The man hadn't moved, and kept the same stone cold glare on her. It was unnerving to the woman, and she wanted to know what the Hell he was thinking.

"Nothing to say?" She asked, agitated.

Gendo did not say anything.

Ritsuko smiled slightly. "So then you really have run out of answers," she said.

Gendo still did not say anything. His expression never faltered, however. He gave no signs that he was in any way trapped by the situation. The continued silence troubles Ritsuko, and she decided she could no longer rely on his actions to determine the outcome.

"Well, no matter," she said. "Rei has decided not to go through with this."

"She was created to do this," Gendo said coldly. His voice was stern, and devoid of all emotion. It was as if it didn't matter at all that he was talking about a person, a human being.

"Yes, that may be," Ritsuko said, "but you did more than create a means to an end that day. You created a life. A human being that wants to live."

"Rei is not human," Gendo said coldly.

Ritsuko didn't know what pissed her off more. The fact that he'd even say that, or that he'd talk about the girl like she wasn't even there.

"I can't believe that even you could be so cold," she hissed.

"Rei knows as well as you and I that she is not what we consider human," Gendo said calmly. "Born of human flesh and containing the soul of a divine being. She is a Nephilim."

Ritsuko could feel her anger giving way to control. She really couldn't stand his arrogance, especially when it involved other people. She always knew that Gendo Ikari saw himself superior to others, she just didn't realize how far that went. Ritsuko didn't want to hear any more of it.

"I don't care," she said, barely able to hold herself together. "She has the right to live!"

"She is not going to die," Gendo responded. "She will transcend with me."

"She won't go through with it," Ritsuko said. She was now squinting seriously, making sure her aim was true.

"She has no choice," Gendo said.

With that, the man took another step forward. Ritsuko braced herself and pulled the trigger. The small firearm went off with a pop, sending a small bullet into Gendo's left shoulder.

Gendo reeled back at the pain of being shot, but he was not stunned or knocked off his feet. The gun was too small of an arm to make that kind of shot lethal, or even debilitating. Seeing his chance, he pulled out his own gun that was hidden behind his back and fired it, hitting the woman in the same spot she had hit him.

Unlike Ritsuko's gun, Gendo's was larger. The impact of the bullet threw Ritsuko backwards and to the ground, leaving Rei standing between the two adults.

The girl stood there, afraid of what Gendo would do then. She knew he was a cold man, and he looked angry now.

Ritsuko grasped her shoulder tightly as it bled and looked at the man who could have killed her. She cursed at herself for not hitting him in the head or the heart, but she couldn't bring it on herself to kill him. Despite everything he had done, and the truth behind his own treatment of her, Ritsuko still loved him. She still had hoped she could save him.

"I loved you," Gendo said, suddenly. Despite what the words were, his voice was still cold and calculated.

Ritsuko was shocked by the words. He had never said that to her before, even after their private moments at his home, or his office. She wanted to believe him, that he could still feel love.

"Liar," Rei said softly.

Ritsuko looked back at the girl she had been trying to protect. Rei was still standing in the same spot as before. Her hands had tightened into fists, and she had her back to Ritsuko.

"You're a liar," she said a little louder.

"Rei..." Ritsuko said in disbelief. The girl had never spoken out against the commander.

"That's enough, Rei," Gendo said, ignoring her comment. "Come here," he said while continuing to walk towards her.

The girl stood there, helpless. She had nowhere to run, and had no idea on what she could do. As the man closed in on her slowly her fear spiked, and she clenched every muscle in her body. She screamed in her head for him to stop.

The room suddenly began to shake softly and Gendo was surprised to see an AT-Field form around Rei. The field formed a small hemisphere around the girl and grew quickly, striking him hard.

Gendo fell to the chamber floor as the girl he had created to do his bidding had absolutely rejected him. He grunted as he hit the ground and squeezed his injured shoulder tightly while looking at the girl behind the AT-Field.

"Rei," he said weakly, showing his pain for the first time. "You must obey me."

"No," she said firmly. The girl glared at him with angry red eyes and began to float from the extension of her AT-Field.

"Rei!" Gendo called. He was reaching towards the girl with his right hand, trying one last time to grasp the future he had tried so hard to achieve.

"I will not be your doll," Rei said coldly. She glared down at the man reaching towards her desperately in disgust. How her past lives could be so loyal to such a selfish man was beyond her.

"Rei, please!" Gendo pleaded. He was too close now to fail. Gendo was literally watching his long planned goal slipping out of his hand.

Rei ignored Gendo's pleas and turned to face the silent Lilith. She peered at the massive giant whom her soul originated from.

It was a precarious situation, she realized. Without Adam, she couldn't join with Lilith's body. This was a detail she had never considered, although it was hardly problematic. She had no intention of making Lilith whole.

What was strange was the way Lilith had reacted to her behavior. She had fully expected the giant and its soul to protest, but they instead seemed to calm at her rebellion. She wondered just what this meant, but didn't have time to think about it now.

Rei floated over to the woman that had been shot protecting her and held her gently.

Ritsuko winced as the girl lifted her up slowly, and she pressed down on her wound tightly. She was bleeding badly, but she knew she would live if she received medical attention quickly.

"Let's go, Doctor Akagi," Rei said.

Ritsuko didn't speak, but nodded. She looked down at Gendo Ikari as the two began to ascend the chamber and towards the giant doorway. For once, she was seeing a different face on the man. Gone was the calm resolve he had worn for so many years, replaced by fear and sadness.

As they left Lilith's chamber, Ritsuko looked at the girl carrying her. Her red eyes were expressionless, but not empty. There was a definite shine to them, Ritsuko thought and smiled.

"Is something the matter, doctor?" Rei asked suddenly.

"No," she replied quietly.

"You are hurt," Rei said, stating the obvious, "And yet you are smiling."

Ritsuko started to laugh, but winced at the pain in her shoulder it caused. She coughed slightly and took a few deep breaths to regain her composure.

"I am," Ritsuko agreed, "but you're not."

Rei looked down at the woman she was carrying, examining her smile and thinking on her words. She didn't understand what Dr. Akagi was getting at, although she didn't understand human behavior much at all.

"I do not understand," she admitted.

"I'm not sure I do either," Ritsuko replied honestly.

In the past hour, the seemingly unstoppable train that was Gendo Ikari's master plan had been completely derailed. For the first time, Ritsuko found herself completely unsure of what was to come, but she was not afraid. She wasn't afraid, because for once, she had no guilt from her decision.

"I'm just glad you're alright, Rei," Ritsuko continued. "And that you're choosing to live for yourself for a change."

"Yes," Rei said. "That is what I will do. This is me."

By then they had reached the end of the hallway and begun their long ascent back towards Central Dogma.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:8**

**- And Then There Was Darkness -**

Asuka sat impatiently in her cockpit listening to the battle outside.

The girl had been sitting for what felt like an eternity. Since her Evangelion had run out of internal power, she's had nothing to do except sit there and listen to whatever communication went through the open com channels while she stared at the amber LCL that she was submerged in.

That was, in fact, the worst part. With nothing else to keep her mind focused on, Asuka couldn't help but notice how gross the LCL felt in normal clothing. Her dress felt like it was soaked in warm, sticky goo, and Asuka was sure she'd have to burn the thing when she got out.

Asuka groaned in frustration as she heard Misato barking orders to the people in the command center and some orchestral song played loudly. The only other sounds she heard were the distant clangs and smashes as Shinji fought on in Unit-01.

At this, Asuka felt a slight tinge of jealousy.

"Stupid Shinji gets to save me again," she said out loud.

The red head looked up to the unseen head of Unit-02.

"Well, I hope you're satisfied with yourself," she said. "Just don't expect me to play the damsel in distress just because I admitted that thing to you."

Even in the darkened entry plug of uncharged, amber colored LCL, Asuka's blush at what she had said was apparent. She was thankful there was absolutely no way anyone could have seen it without any video feeds being available under emergency back-up power.

Asuka waited for some answer, but the girl was replied with nothing but the sound of the music.

"You hear me!" Asuka shouted the question. She was now leaning forward out of her seat, as if she was ready to jump at the unseen presence of Unit-02 that had abandoned her along with the Eva's energy.

Again, nothing but the sound of music.

Asuka sighed and sat back in her cockpit seat. She wasn't sure what she was going to do if she survived this. Thinking on it though, she was leaning towards slapping Shinji for taking so damn long. Yeah, she was definitely going to slap him, never mind the fact that he'd be saving her life. Asuka expected no less from Shinji. To Asuka, Shinji saving her from danger was a given; a law of cosmic balance. The only factor in her treatment of him at the end of this, was the duration of time it took for him to get the job done, and he was not doing well by her standards.

Feeling her agitation start to boil, Asuka slammed her hand on the private com button and opened a channel to Unit-01. She was going to give Shinji a piece of her mind.

**- x -**

Shinji shouted as he continued to fight the Angel Tabris in Unit-05. The two had been in a virtual stalemate, trading swings with their massive two sided swords. Dies Irae from Mozart's Requiem was still blaring loudly over the com, although Shinji had tuned it out as background noise long ago. That is, until a rather angry girl started yelling at him through the noise.

"What are you doing, you idiot!" Asuka asked. It was coming from the audio only com.

"Asuka," Shinji replied between blocks, sounding surprised. He had actually forgotten about her in the heat of battle.

"Don't 'Asuka' me, you dork," she hissed. "What's taking so long!"

Shinji groaned to himself as the girl berated him. Here he was fighting to save her life, and all she could do was complain like her dinner was late.

"I'm a little busy here," he said, annoyed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Asuka replied mockingly. "I didn't realize the great, invincible, Shinji Ikari would find it so difficult to defeat one Eva. Not like I defeated four of them by myself. Twice!"

Shinji again groaned. She was talking to him like she did when she had first arrived in Tokyo-3. Shinji couldn't believe he ever wanted this Asuka back. She was so arrogant and stuck up. She could never say anything nice, least of all to him. This didn't get Shinji down, however. It just lit a fire in his eyes.

"Hey! I've had to deal with those others too!" He protested.

"Don't try to feed me some story!" Asuka yelled. "My com's been open. I know you're only fighting one!"

_That girl! _Shinji really couldn't believe the nerve of her sometimes. Shinji resolved to show her just how good he could be. He swung at Unit-05, attacking with his blocks. This new strategy forced the Angel back, and widened the window between its swings.

Shinji finally saw an opening as one of his attacks sent the Angel's sword back with so much force it hunched back to keep balanced. Quickly, Shinji swung his sword around again, meaning to cut the Angel at the torso.

The Angel recovered as fast as it could. It brought its sword to its side and barely blocked the attack enough to prevent it from being cut in half. Instead, the sword merely sliced into its side, causing a sharp pain in Tabris' gut.

"Impressive," Tabris said to himself. He responded by firing his cross beam at the now open Unit-01, deciding he could not prepare his sword in time.

Shinji saw the light coming from the Angel's mouth and extended his AT-Field. The explosion ripped apart the forest around Unit-01, but Shinji felt nothing as the AT-Field protected them.

As the chaos cleared, Shinji watched for Unit-05. The Angel had recovered and was now standing with its sword held horizontally in its hands.

"Very nice, Shinji Ikari," Tabris said through the com screen. "Now it is time for the next movement!"

With that, Unit-05 twisted the handle of the sword in its hands. Somehow, the Angel pulled the blade apart into two halves, now holding two rather large one handed bastard swords. On cue, the Requiem moved on to the next movement, Rex Tremendae.

Shinji widened his eyes at this change of events. He brought his double sided sword up defensively as the Angel came running at him with both of its one sided swords swinging.

**- x -**

Misato growled as she watched the Angel manipulate its sword in half.

"That is such a load of bull!" she shouted.

"What's going on out there?" Asuka asked through the com.

"Just… sit tight, Asuka," Misato replied sharply. She wasn't in the mood to deal with the girl at the moment.

The major looked over to Aoba, who was working furiously with the Magi to counter the com intrusion.

"Have the Magi figured a way to turn off that damn music?" she asked.

"Negative!" Aoba reported. "The Magi can't even explain how it's being sent into our systems."

Misato let an annoyed growl and gripped her head tightly. It was hard to focus with the music playing so loudly.

Commander Fuyutsuki, on the other hand, barely heard the music. He was observing the battle closely with curious thoughts swirling in his mind. He thought that giving the Eva Series the ability to enter their bestial forms freely was evidence enough of SEELE's desperation, but what Unit-05 was exhibiting was something else entirely.

Clearly, Unit-05 was different in that it had a real pilot, a clone of Kaworu Nagisa, the 17th Angel, it would seem. He even insisted on being referred to as Tabris, his Angel name instead of his given name. That bit of info was troubling enough, as the commander couldn't figure out why on earth SEELE would be cloning an Angel. He knew the old men would go to great lengths to achieve their goals, but this was madness. It was blasphemy on a whole new scale.

Add to that Unit-05's transformation. The Magi reported that the pilot had somehow melded it's AT-Field with the Eva's, causing it to transform, or ascend rather. That was the only word he could use to describe what had happened. What Unit-01 was fighting was no longer an Evangelion, or an Angel. It may have a blue blood type, but it had become something else. And that is what was most troubling in his mind. In all the unanswered questions that had been brought up through this battle, Fuyutsuki was sure of one thing. SEELE did not know about this being possible. This was not part of their plan.

_So what happens now? _He wondered. _What are you here for, Tabris? And how will SEELE respond?_

**- x -**

Tabris laughed as he attacked Unit-01 with his swords. His single bladed swords were much lighter in each hand, allowing him to keep a constant offensive. To his opponent's credit, however, he had yet to land a hit.

Shinji was moving furiously to block the constant barrage of attacks. He wasn't even trying to find an opening, instead focusing solely on defense. This was not a good situation, as he was also being pushed backwards, further and further from Unit-02.

"I can't let this continue," Shinji told himself.

Shinji continued to block the attacks from Tabris and groaned. He planted his feet down as hard as he could and clashed his sword against both of Tabris', locking them.

Tabris pushed hard against Unit-01, but found he was unable to overpower the Eva. He always knew Shinji's resolve would be strong, but this was still a surprise. Shinji wasn't even using Unit-01's bestial form, but was able to equal his own strength.

_Such strength, _Tabris thought to himself. _What gives you such strength?_

Shinji pushed harder than he thought possible, crying out in anger. He could feel Unit-05's arms giving way to him, ever so slightly. Immediately, Shinji pulled the control arms back and then thrust them forward harder than before. In response, Unit-01 bent its arms to relax its muscles for a split second and then pushed with all of its might. It was enough, and Unit-05's hands were thrown backwards.

Finally getting the opening he needed, Shinji swung his sword back and forth, swatting each of Unit-05's swords out of its hands. He could feel victory was within reach and raised his arms high, preparing to swing his sword down through the Angel's head.

Tabris saw Shinji's intention and smirked.

"It's not that easy, Ikari," he said.

Unit-05 spread its wings and flapped them forward. As they slashed towards Unit-01, they changed shape stretching into long, flat ribbons. The ribbons hit Unit-01 in the arms and legs, as well as the torso. They then melted at their tips, encircling the areas they made contact with to form restraints.

Tabris laughed at the restrained Unit-01.

"Well then," he said, "Let's see just how strong your resolve really is!"

Tabris had a twisted smile on his face as he began to tug on Unit-01's arms and legs with his wings. The Eva had released its two handed grip on its sword, devoting all of its strength to struggle against him.

Shinji cried in pain as the Angel's wings pulled his Eva's limbs hard. He felt like his arms and legs were going to be ripped out of their sockets. Still, he fought it. He couldn't give up. He tightened every muscle in his body and willed his Eva to fight harder.

"Very good," Tabris said. "But this is just the beginning!"

Tabris pulled hard on his two wings that were wrapped around Unit-01's torso and tightened them, crushing it. The effect on Shinji was a bear hug on his ribs that made it nearly impossible to breathe. His vision was blurring, and he screamed louder than before. He was under so much pain. He was sure he was going to pass out, but he fought it as hard as he could. He glared at the Angel through blurry eyes, and clenched his teeth. He would not surrender.

- x -

Misato and the other command staff watched in horror as the Angel grabbed Unit-01's limbs and began to pull them apart. They could hear Shinji's cries of pain through the com over the music, but were helpless to aid him.

"Unit-01's armor is reaching the stress limit!" Hyuga reported. "Showing damage to the arms and legs!"

"Pilot's psychograph is spiking," Maya reported. "He won't be able to handle this stress much longer!"

On the view screen, Unit-01 struggled futilely against the Angel's wings pulling at its limbs. Shinji's cry of pain was loud, and frantic, like he was being burned alive.

"Shinji..." Misato stared helplessly. "Can we sever the nerve links?"

"Doing so would deactivate Unit-01," Hyuga said. "We would lose it, and the pilot, most likely."

"So we're stuck then," Misato concluded. She felt the weight of defeat slam into her at that thought. Shinji's cries only made the feeling worse.

"What's going on?" Asuka asked through com. She sounded concerned. "What's happening to Shinji?"

"Asuka I..." Misato fought back the lump in her throat. "I'd rather not describe it," she said sadly.

"Pilot's heart rate is at 200 beats per minute," Maya reported, making sure her headset was off. "Ma'am, he's going to go into cardiac arrest."

Misato didn't say anything. What could she say? Anything they did to help Shinji would mean the loss of Unit-01, and the loss of Unit-01 meant the loss of Shinji anyway. It was the choice between hoping for a miracle, and opting for euphonizing him.

"Damn it! Shinji! What's happening!" Asuka shouted through the open com channel.

There was a pause to Shinji's cry of pain, and he very weakly replied, "Asuka..."

Asuka gave an angry scowl over the com before speaking.

"Stop playing around!" she shouted. "This has got to be some kind of record for you! Longest Angel battle of all time!"

"Asuka!" Misato protested. She couldn't believe she would be insulting him at a time like this.

"No, Misato! He needs to hear this!" Asuka shouted back. There was a brief pause before the young girl continued. "Listen you dork! I didn't come back from the abyss just so I could hear you crying in agony!"

There was no reply from Shinji. There was an unsettling moment of silence over the com as everyone in the command center watched Unit-01 losing its struggle against the Angel. Its arms had now become slack, and were completely at the mercy of the wings pulling them apart. Blood had begun to spray from flesh that was slowly ripping apart.

Misato clenched her hand over her chest while Maya looked away in disgust. Asuka couldn't see what was going on, but found the silence just as bad.

"I-if you're trying to get me to admit that I'm worried... you can forget it!" she yelled. "You hear me!"

Still, there was nothing but silence. Asuka let out an annoyed growl.

"Dummkopf…" Asuka grumbled over the com, it was barely audible. "FINE! I'm worried! Okay? I admit it! I'm worried! You're better than this! Now, Kick his ass already!" she cried over the com.

Shinji still did not respond. Misato waited a moment before looking over to Maya.

"Maya, is he...?" Misato couldn't form the words.

Maya was silent for a few seconds, taking in what she was seeing on her monitor.

"No," she said in disbelief. "His heart rate is decreasing and his psycho graph is steadying!"

"What?" Misato said in surprise. She looked up at the view screen to see Unit-01struggling against the Angel's wings, looking more a contender than a victim.

"Yes! Alright Shinji!" Misato cheered.

**- x -**

Shinji was nearly out of breath, but he wasn't done yet. Asuka's words sparked something in him he didn't know he had, but he was going to use it. Using the last of his strength, he pulled Unit-01's arms in. He ignored the burning pain in his shoulders and elbows. He bit back that painful whimper with clenched teeth and hunched down on Unit-01's legs. Looking at the Angel he cried loudly and charged.

Tabris was taken by surprise at this attack. He felt himself fall with Unit-05 as there was no longer a resistance from his pulling. He was completely defenseless as Unit-01 came charging at him.

Shinji saw Unit-05 fall backwards and the grip on his torso loosen. He took in a deep breath of air and his vision cleared. He rammed into Unit-05 and tackled it to the ground. With unrelenting rage, he gripped its neck in his hands and began to strangle it.

Tabris could feel Unit-01's hands on his neck, squeezing tightly. He gasped for air under the strain and pulled with his wings as hard as he could on Unit-01's arms.

"You... sure are... stubborn..." He croaked.

Tabris grabbed Unit-01's arms with his hands and pulled them off his neck with the help of his wings. Able to breathe easily again, he took a much needed breath while scowling at the Eva. He started to charge his cross beam as he lifted Unit-01 off of him.

Shinji felt himself getting pushed off the Angel. He saw the familiar light forming in the angel's mouth and quickly stomped on the Angel's throat with his right foot.

The attack wasn't very hard, but it was enough to distract Tabris' focus. He groaned from the kick and his cross beam fizzled harmlessly into nothingness. As he recovered, he pushed against Unit-01 for leverage and got to his feet. Now standing, he chose this time to push, rather than pull. He released his hands from Unit-01's arms and used them to strangle it while his wings kept its arms at bay.

Shinji wasn't going to let the Angel dictate the struggle again. He didn't fight against its many grips on his Eva and instead pulled his arms back. The angel came tripping forward and Shinji welcomed it with a knee to the chest. The force of the blow released his neck and left the Angel stunned. Quickly, Shinji twisted his hands around to grip the wings that were still holding his wrists. He raised the knee he had hit the Angel with and planted his heel on the chest and thrust forward hard.

Tabris repressed a cry of pain as he was kicked back. He felt a burning pain on his shoulder blades as the top pair of wings of his Eva were being pulled roughly while he was pushed back by Unit-01's right leg. He tried to use his other wings to force a change in this predicament, but was unable to focus enough strength into them. The strain that was put on his top pair was too great.

Shinji felt the other wings tugging feebly at his legs and torso. He laughed slightly as he pulled on the wings in his hands harder and pushed his right leg with everything he had. A twisted cracking sound could be heard, and blood was starting to spray from the Angel's shoulders.

With that, Shinji pulled back his leg and kicked it back out. The force of the sudden impact tore the top two wings from the Angel's shoulder blades and sent it flying back.

The now limp wings became lax in Unit-01's hands and their grip melted off of his wrists. The remaining wings had released their grip from Unit-01 as the Angel hit the ground and the music suddenly stopped.

Tabris breathed deeply as he felt the pain ripping through his body. His entry plug was blinking red from alarms reporting damage going off. Having lost his focus on his AT-Field, the music had stopped playing through the com, much to his distaste. As he looked up, he could feel tears running down his cheeks from the strain. Slowly, he got Unit-05 onto its feet.

"Very good," Tabris gasped, "Shinji Ikari. Your strength is more than I expected. And your resolve... I envy it. To think you were able to push it this far and maintain control, your humanity intact."

Tabris could hear Unit-05 crying in his mind. He tried to soothe his brother and allowed it to reform the remaining wings into their original large ones. They were now damaged, but the act seemed to calm the Eva slightly.

"They will heal in time," he said quietly. He then suddenly sensed something above him and looked towards the sky. "Hmm?"

**- x -**

Rei held doctor Akagi gently as they ascended up towards Central Dogma. They had nearly reached the top of the large shaft, and to where Ritsuko could get proper medical attention.

To her credit, the older, blonde haired woman wasn't wincing in pain as much as she was before. She had determined her body had pumped enough adrenaline into her blood by now that the pain was now a rather euphoric warm buzz. As someone who's studied the medical field, however, she also knew that wouldn't last.

"Do not worry, Doctor Akagi," Rei said as if she could read minds. "We are nearly there."

Ritsuko nodded, not wanting to talk too much.

Rei saw the nod from the corner of her eye. She had been looking upwards since they started their ascent, finding that it helped her concentrate on the act of levitation with her AT-Field.

Levitation was a new sensation to the girl, yet she found it completely natural. It was strange to think that until today, she wasn't even fully aware of her ability to extend her AT-Field beyond her body. Upon doing it consciously for the first time, however, it was like a switch had been flipped on. There was a moment of understanding with what she was, and Rei had no difficulty accepting it. It didn't matter what she was. Rei only cared about who she was. She was going to find that out from this day forward on her own.

Ritsuko was proud of Rei's decision today, finding some measure of vicarious pride, and perhaps redemption. She hoped the girl holding her wouldn't regret choosing a mortal life of discovery over becoming a living God.

As she reflected on his, the doctor let her eyes drift down and she was suddenly aware of just how high up they were. She tensed and tightened the hold her right arm had on the small girl. She wasn't afraid of heights, but she was also used to having a floor beneath her when moving upwards.

Rei tensed a little as the older woman grabbed onto her harder, but did not do the same.

"Do not worry," she said calmly. "I will not drop you."

Ritsuko laughed weakly. "I know," she said sheepishly. "First time flyer," she joked.

"Mmm, I as well," she said, still calm.

Ritsuko gave the girl a nervous glance. She would need to work on her comforting skills.

Rei did not pick up on Ritsuko's discomfort with her comment, but sensed something else. The area around them had been the same it always was in this shaft. Cold, dark, and quiet. The area above was warm with wife, and had a feeling of panic. Normal for a battle she knew was going on. But then, there was something else. Something new had appeared above the layers she was accustomed to. It was something she had never felt before, and yet she somehow had a feeling she knew what it meant.

"Something is coming," she said, now sounding worried.

"What?" Ritsuko asked. She looked up towards the approaching ceiling of the shaft. "I don't see anything."

"No, outside," Rei explained. Her voice had become tense. "Something... terrible."

Ritsuko examined the fear in the girl's eyes. It wasn't something she was used to seeing in Rei, and of the Reis.

"We should head to the command center," she said. "I can have my wound tied up on the way there."

"Very well," Rei said as she opened the door at the top of the shaft. She helped the doctor down onto her feet in the hallway before landing herself.

The hallway they had entered was blinking red from the alert status alarms, but was otherwise calm. Ritsuko tried to walk on her own, but found herself unable to with the wound in her shoulder. She nearly fell over, but managed to lean against the far wall just in time.

Rei stepped closer and held the taller woman and let her lean her wounded shoulder on her. She let the doctor rest for a moment before looking down the hallway that lead towards the command center.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Ritsuko nodded and exhaled deeply at the pain that was now burning. Gingerly, she stepped over to an emergency locker with Rei's help and removed a poncho.

"You'd better put this on," she said as she held the plastic poncho up.

Rei blinked at the plastic clothing. She didn't understand the point in doing this when there were more pressing matters, but took it anyways, not wanting to argue. She covered her naked body with the poncho, noting how uncomfortable it felt on her bare skin, and retook Ritsuko's good arm.

"Alright," Ritsuko said as she did her best to stand straight. "Let's go."

"Very well," Rei replied.

Together, they made their way to the command center, the doctor ripping her lab coat sleeve off as they went.

**- x -**

Misato and the others couldn't help but cheer as Shinji and Unit-01 overpowered the Angel and tore a pair of its wings off. There was also a sigh of relief as the music stopped blasting over the com speakers, particularly from Misato.

"Finally," Misato said with an agitated groan.

"The Angel's AT-Field has split in two again," Aoba reported. "The pilot's AT-Field also seems to have vanished along with the music."

"Hmm..." Misato had her arms crossed and was tapping a finger on her left tricep. "So it was the AT-Field?"

"Looks like it," Hyuga agreed. "Still not sure how though. It wasn't extended into our systems."

"We'll have the Magi look into it," Misato said. "I don't want to have to put up with that ever again."

"Right," Hyuga agreed again.

The moment of relief came to halt as alarms and warning signed went off all over the command center. Misato didn't need to ask that it was an AT-Field, because the warning made that obvious enough. Still though, she couldn't contain her shock.

"What... now?" she asked rhetorically.

"It's another AT-Field!" Hyuga reported.

"Blood pattern unknown," Aoba said while working with the Magi. As the super computers worked furiously he vocalized their findings. "It's stronger than anything we've encountered before... And it's huge!"

"Where is it coming from?" Misato asked.

"It's right above Unit-02!" Hyuga shouted.

"Unit-02?" Misato looked at the view screen as it changed perspective to show surveillance of the inactive Eva.

The sky over the Evangelion had become cascaded with black clouds that had what appeared to be fire hissing within it. Pockets of light were flashing underneath the bellowing smoke as it spread over the whole sky, and lightning was dancing along the bottom of the expanse of blackness.

"What in the Hell is that?" she asked.

"The Magi still can't make heads or tails of it," Aoba reported. "Inconclusive!"

"Well, it's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Misato spat. She didn't think it could be anything but an Angel.

"No, ma'am. The Magi have confirmed it's definitely not an Angel," Aoba clarified. "Its blood type does not match blue."

Commander Fuyutsuki watched listened in stunned silence. Until that moment, things still made a semblance of sense to him. The Angels had all been defeated, and SEELE was coming to force the issue of instrumentality through Unit-01 as a medium. Sure, the developments during the ordeal with Unit-05 were alarming, but he considered those minor internal issues with SEELE. This latest event, however, was throwing the whole scenario his past 14 years were based off of right out the window.

_Ikari,_ He thought to himself. _If you haven't gone through with your plan, you'd better get up here. _He couldn't help but wonder why nothing had happened in Terminal Dogma yet.

**- x -**

Tabris looked up at the blackened sky with bemused joy. The thick black smoke covered the sky above them and was rife with flames and lightning, like an exploding volcano. It was at the same time a dark abyss as well as chaotic destruction.

"It would seem the decision has been made," Tabris remarked as the black smoke finished filling the sky. It now spread far beyond the horizon. "Right on schedule."

Tabris could also feel the powerful presence within the blackness. It's AT-Field had reached him, alerting him of its arrival before the smoke appeared. The boy smiled at the imposing presence and then at Unit-01, which was looking up at the black sky.

"I hope you're ready, Shinji Ikari," he said.

Shinji was staring at the black smoke filling the sky. He didn't know why, but he was frozen in fear. Something was reaching into him, grasping his heart. In all of his battles against the Angels, Shinji had felt fear, but that had always been his own. This was different. It was as if fear had become a physical force, and it was forcing its way into him. It was weighing him down.

"What is this?" he said weakly. He was struggling under the weight of this feeling he could only describe as fear.

**- x -**

Asuka sat nervously in her control chair as the entry plug began to shake slightly. She was just sighing in relief over the music finally stopping when the shaking had started. There was no chatter over the com, but Asuka could sense that something was horribly wrong.

The girl looked left and right around the dim plug, looking for something that wasn't there. And yet, she couldn't shake this strange feeling that there was something else in the plug with her.

"That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" she asked nervously. Asuka looked up towards the unseen head of her Eva for an answer, and was given one she didn't expect.

A sudden chill ran through her body, and her muscles became tense. Something invisible seemed to grip her heart, while at the same time her mind exploded with incoherent noise. Asuka tried to scream, but found her throat was gasping short sharp breaths.

"What's happening?" she croaked.

**- x -**

"Pilot's psychograph is fluctuating!" Maya reported. "It's... some kind of reaction to the AT-Field!"

"What? What about Unit-01's AT-Field?" Misato asked. "Shouldn't it be blocking it?"

"It's not up!" Maya shouted. "Pilot's psych readings are too erratic. He can't produce an AT-Field like this!"

"Damn!" Misato remarked. "What about Unit-02?"

"Same readings," Maya said. "Unit-02's pilot is also experience mental stress."

"Well, we already know she can't erect a field with no power. Try the LCL barriers!" Misato ordered.

Maya punched in the command, but was replied with an error message.

"No effect," she said. "The signal went through, but there was no change!"

"You mean it's being blocked by the AT-Field?" Misato asked.

"Unknown," Maya reported. "There's no sign of interference."

Another warning blipped onto her monitor. It was one the young computer tech had been expecting since this attack began.

"Mental contamination is occurring in the pilots!" she shouted.

"Damn it!" Misato didn't know what to do. Mental and physical care of the pilots in combat was Ritsuko's area of expertise. She didn't know what her options were, so she'd have to leave it up to the lieutenant. "Do anything you can to block whatever it is causing the contamination," Misato ordered.

"I'll do my best, ma'am," Maya said as she got to work.

"Major," Hyuga called out suddenly. "The other Evas are withdrawing!"

The major looked back at the view screen at the descending mass of black smoke and fire. Like birds flocking before a storm, the five white Evangelions flew off, leaving behind Unit-01 and 02 underneath the black storm. It looked like Hell itself was falling unto Earth. Misato wasn't sure if she had seen anything so horrifying in her life, and she was the only person alive that had witnessed Second Impact first hand.

"So it's not them..." Misato noted as she watched the five Evas fly off. "Get me the UN and JSSDF now!"

"They're already on the line, ma'am," Hyuga said. "Looks like they've been watching the whole time."

"Of course," Misato said sarcastically. She picked up the phone and prepared to organize the fastest defensive response ever.

**- x -**

Tabris glanced up at the black storm once again as he took to the skies. He looked down at the struggling Shinji on his com screen and gave the boy a smile.

"Well then, I leave the rest to you, Shinji Ikari," he said. His emotions weren't very clear, although his tone was amused. "Try not to die. It would be a shame if we had to start all over."

With that, Tabris joined the other four winged Evangelions and together, they flew off. Shinji watched them retreat, helpless to pursue.

Shinji felt like his heart was being squeezed in his chest. The sound of his heart beating was echoing loudly in his ears. He was choking on nothing but air, and his brain felt like it was being beaten with hammers. He winced as the sensation of fear tore into his mind and body.

"Why..." he asked weakly. He didn't understand what was happening to him.

As if to answer him, Shinji heard a low, angry roar in the recesses of his mind. The sound was overwhelmingly loud, and it rattled his mind as much as the plug shook his body.

"What are you?" he asked.

The reply that came was another loud roar in Shinji's mind. It shook him to his core, and invaded his very thoughts. He could feel a strong feeling of despair emminating from this presence that was descending upon him, but it was not its own. No, it felt like despair itself.

Again, the presence roared angrily within Shinji's mind. He shut his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth in protest, but that did nothing to halt it. Another roar, and the presence seemed to dig into his heart. A third, and Shinji could only describe the feeling as something ripping into his soul.

Shinji recoiled under the feeling that spread pain throughout his body. He had felt pain before, but not this. This was more than his body beaten, or his mind assaulted. A new invisible layer of his existence was being intruded upon, violated. He gasped weakly as it tore into him sharply.

"No…" Shinji protested weakly.

As if it meant to snuff out the last resistance of the helpless child, the presence gave another dominating roar.

With that, Shinji was overtaken by a flash of sounds and images. He could no longer see the entry plug around him, nor hear the sounds of the instruments in the cockpit. All he could see were images flashing faster than his mind could make sense of. The accompanying noise was nothing but white static flooding his ears. Together, these sights and sounds overwhelmed Shinji, and cast him into the abyss. All he could do was scream.

**To be continued…**

Author's Notes: Back to the old chapter format. I find it more satisfying this way, even if it does take a lot longer. Hope you all enjoyed the action and plot developments. This just about covers the changes through the end of the original series and the movies, making way for what will now be fully original material.

For those that are wondering, the song that I used in this chapter is Dies Irae from Mozart's Requiem. It is the third movement of the Requiem, although the entire poem of Dies Irae is sung through the eighth movement, Lacrimosa.

The reason for the song was to differentiate this cloned Kaworu from the original. The original supposedly was able to live and observe humans for at least fifteen years, although being an angel, I assume he's a lot older. In that time, I think he becomes curious about humanity and the means by which it tries to survive. He's also interested in their music that expresses the soul, which is why he likes Ode to Joy so much.

By contrast, this new clone only has the former's memories up until SEELE sends him to NERV as the fifth child, so I instead have him fixated on his imprinted knowledge of God's plan, leading him to like Dies Irae, a song based on a poem about the day of wrath.

Here is a YouTube link to the specific movement: .com/watch?v=j1C-GXQ1LdY

Also, a fun fact. The Japanese previews for Evangelion: Death and Rebirth used Vivaldi's Dies Irae, written to the same poem. It is also a good piece of classical music, but I find Mozart's Requiem to be the superior of the two.

Here's the YouTube for the Death and Rebirth trailer: .com/watch?v=UQ-4myiJIQg


	9. 1:9 The Raising of the Curtain

**Message from the author:** I find it really strange that more people are adding this story to their favorites and alerts than reviewing it. If you like the story, I ask that you please comment on it in a review, as it's the only way I know what people think of it, and the direction its taking. I also think it's an important grounding force for the characters, as keeping things in character in Evangelion is very important, and I don't want to stray too far. So please, take a moment to leave your thoughts. They will be greatly appreciated.

**- x -**

The darkness of space surrounded the Earth, a perfect cover for what was approaching.

Earth's satellites and telescopes kept an ever watchful eye at the great beyond, studying its endless mysteries and pondering if there may be life out there. Then there was the other side of their constant eyes on the sky.

The people of Earth had always feared that an extra terrestrial object would cause a catastrophic event that would mean their end. There was the theory of such an object impacting volcanic Earth, creating the moon. The asteroid that shattered Pangaea into the seven continents that now covered the globe and made the dinosaurs extinct. And finally, there was second impact, or what the general public knew as second impact.

Yes, ever since the world was told a tiny meteor traveling at near light speed caused that catastrophic event a new found interest had been pumped into watching the darkness of space for incoming danger. Their methods, however, could not see the blackness that was approaching.

It had been traveling since the beginning of this universe's existence, searching for the single blue gem in the sea of stars. Despite the billions of years that had come to pass, it did not lose hope, for it had none. No, this blackness was incapable of having hope. It only had purpose.

This was its purpose, to find the blue sphere, and at long last, it had. Its vanguard defeated, the Earth was now ready, as it was foretold, for its arrival.

The blackness passed harmlessly through the darkness of space, seemingly invisible to the many eyes the Earth had pointing towards it. It wasn't until it pierced the atmosphere that it could be seen, and by then, it was too late.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:9**

**- The Raising of the Curtain -**

**By: OmegaGear**

Tabris hummed to himself as he flew up into the black storm along with the other four Evangelions that accompanied him. The cockpit shook violently as he guided them through the torrents of winds, fire, and lightning, but he remained perfectly calm.

As they reached higher into the blackness, the lightning and fire became more frequent and violent, and a loud rumbling reverberated through the air around them.

Through the corner of his eye, Tabris saw the faint silhouette of something within the blackness. It was massive, encompassing the entire right side of his view screen, and the lighting and fire seemed to erupt from it.

Tabris turned to look at this massive entity straight on and smiled knowingly as it continued to descend from the sky, shaking it with its beastly roar.

A clearing in the blackness appeared as a large eruption of fire blew it open. The dark blood red surface of the entity was faintly visible, and an eye opened. It gazed directly at Tabris, expressionless.

Tabris looked back into the eye and smiled as it glanced at the other Evas around him before closing.

"That's right," he said. "We're not the ones you're here for."

Tabris guided his brothers away and glanced back to where Unit-01 and Shinji Ikari were now hidden beneath the black storm. He smiled faintly and remarked, "It's too bad I can't stay and watch."

**- x -**

"No! We don't know what it is!" Misato screamed into the phone she was holding.

The major was currently trying to get the JSSDF and UN off their asses, as she put it. Both of them had remained outside of the conflict between SEELE and NERV, but were ever watchful. When the black storm and AT-Field appeared over Tokyo-3, they were quick to call. Since then, SEELE's Eva Series had withdrawn, ruling them out of this latest development.

Misato wasn't sure if she liked that more or less than the idea that it was just another SEELE attack, but with the UN and JSSDF on the line, she was going to rustle their support, and salvage this disaster as best she could.

On the other side of the line, the JSSDF was being positive, agreeing to move in immediately. The UN, however, seemed more interested in asking questions about what happened with SEELE.

"Does it really matter right now!" Misato shouted. She couldn't believe how oblivious old men could be sometimes. "Look, I don't know what the deal with SEELE is, ok? No, the commander isn't present... Oh, just shove it and get your asses in gear! We need cover fire!"

While the major continued to argue with the UN, the three computer techs were communicating with JSSDF forces, coordinating positions and taking stock of the situation for the Major to dictate orders when everything was ready.

On the view screen, the black storm had covered the entire sky all the way to the horizon, and was continuing to descend upon the city. It erupted with fire and lightning, unlike anything ever seen on Earth, and what was within had yet to reveal itself. At its center, the black clouds swirled violently with constant sparks of lightning and pulses of light from eruptions deeper within the mass. The apparent eye of this storm was anything, but calm, and it was heading right for the unpowered Unit-02.

Maya was working furiously to try to sustain the pilots of the Evangelions they had deployed. Unit-01 was in better shape, having power and more options. Unit-02, however, was running on the plug's emergency power, which only provided for limited life support and communications. As time dwindled, she was approaching the point where they'd have enough power for an emergency plug ejection and nothing else.

The young woman swallowed a large lump in her throat as she went over that idea in her head. Whatever was descending on them wouldn't ignore the plug, most likely. Before that bridge, however, they needed Shinji to stabilize in Unit-01. Unit-02 was on its back, so they would need him to move it before they could eject the plug. She supposed that would at least solve the issue of retrieval as well, but would still rather it not come to that.

Maya's hopes, however, were cast aside as the tense situation with the pilots suddenly became worse. The psycho graphs of both pilots began to fluctuate erratically, and a warning was flashing.

"Mental contamination in the pilots!" Maya shouted.

Misato looked over to the young woman, still clenching the phone connected to the UN.

"Their psychographs are deteriorating! Mental contamination is approaching the ego borderline!" she shouted helplessly.

"What? Oh no," Misato said. She didn't know what they could do now. They had no time, and no available options for attack or retreat. "Is nothing working?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Maya said. "Whatever is doing this isn't going through the Evas to reach the pilots. Their defense systems are functioning perfectly, but have nothing to focus those systems on."

"So this isn't like when the Angels contaminated the Evas to get to the pilots," Misato surmised. She looked over to the other computer techs hopelessly. "Is the JSSDF in position?"

"Not yet," Hyuga said. "Ground forces are mobilizing to cover positions, and aerial units are en route."

"Damn, can't they move any faster?" Misato hissed. "What about the status of our city defenses?"

"City defenses are armed and ready," Aoba reported. "But ma'am, without a target, they won't be of much use."

"I know," Misato said. Of course she knew they'd be no use. They never were, but they needed something, anything to distract what was coming. "I want those defenses firing the second whatever the Hell that thing is shows itself."

"Roger," Aoba said. He then turned to his console and started punching in commands to arm the city's many built in missile defense systems.

"And Aoba," Misato said as calmly as she could, "request that the UN have an N2 strike on standby."

Everyone was silent for a moment. They all knew the price of what Misato was suggesting. Neither Unit-01 or 02 had AT-Fields up. They would survive the strike, but the pilots would be boiled alive without the AT-Fields. It was the nail in the coffin that summed up how dire the situation was becoming. The major was willing to sacrifice the pilots in an attempt to blow this threat back to whatever hell it came from.

"Understood," Aoba said. His voice did little to hide how he felt about the order. He was very uneasy.

Misato returned her attention to the phone and groaned as she rejoined some old fool that was still blabbering about unanswered questions involving the Evangelions, violations of accords, and irrelevant politics.

"I don't have time for this!" She shouted. "Either you come help us, or you can it!"

**- x -**

Asuka felt like she was being choked as fear spread through her body. She could barely see, and her ears were now ringing from the rumbling of the cockpit and roaring in her mind.

She had never felt anything like this before. The fear she felt was so strong it paralyzed her. It dug deep into her heart, gripping her tightly without so much as a whisper about what she was fearing. The only answer to any of her questions were loud roars unlike any animal or monster she'd ever heard before. It was low, growling, alien, and yet familiar. It made her think of pure evil.

Through the rumbling and roaring, Asuka thought she heard the faintest whisper.

_"Yes, child,"_ it said. _"Do not fight it..."_

Asuka tried to keep her eyes open, hoping to see what was speaking to her. She looked left and right in the dim plug, but even with her blurred vision, she could tell she was alone.

"Is that you?" she asked weakly. She was hoping Unit-02's presence was someone coming back to her.

Unit-02, however, was not coming back to her. The fearful roar echoed loudly in her mind once again, freezing Asuka in pain. She was forced to shut her eyes tightly as every muscle tensed, and her head began to pound. Asuka gasped as her mind exploded with images and sounds. Flashes of people she knew, memories, dreams, and hopes all flashed too quickly for her to comprehend. It was too much for her to handle, and she let out a scream as the darkness swallowed her.

**- x -**

"Mental contamination is spreading through the pilot of Unit-02!" Maya shouted.

"Shit!" Misato cursed.

Misato looked over Maya's shoulder at the monitors showing Shinji and Asuka's life signs. The graphs had gone completely crazy, as far as she could tell, and she started to panic.

"Can't you do anything to calm their life signs?" she asked desperately. Even if the attacks were on the pilots directly, the plug's life support systems should still be able to do something.

"I've been trying, ma'am," Maya said as she continued to frantically type in commands. "Nothing is working. I can't explain it! It's as if something is forcing their minds to react this way."

"Something is forcing it?" Misato asked. "You mean an intrusion?"

"Yes, ma'am," Maya said.

"Keep working on a countermeasure," Misato said. "We can't give up!"

"I will," Maya said.

The two women were interrupted as one of the monitors at Maya's station went red and a warning began to blink. The young lieutenant started to type furiously as the warning blinked over Shinji's life readings.

"Pilot of Unit-01's psychograph is going critical!" she reported. "Ego borderline breached!"

"No, Shinji!" Misato cried. She turned to Aoba and Hyuga and shouted madly. "Open fire! I don't care if we can't see anything! Just fire!"

"Roger!" they both replied.

"Firing main batteries two through seven above Unit-02!" Aoba reported.

They all watched as the missile launchers at the edge of the city fired a barrage up into the storm. The missiles flew up into the black clouds, but there was no discernable explosions apart from the usual eruptions.

"Missiles detonated," Aoba reported.

"No sign of contact, however," Hyuga added.

Misato's fists were trembling from how angry she was becoming. She felt like this unseen enemy was mocking them as it preyed on their helpless pilots, and most valuable weapons.

"Keep firing!" she ordered. "Fire everything! Have the JSSDF fire as soon as they're ready! Fire, Fire, FIRE!"

On the main view screen, the sky began to fill with countless barrages of missile and turret fire. The hundreds upon hundreds of projectiles flew into the black storm and lit it with faint explosions as they detonated against something still unseen.

"Still no discernible effect!" Hyuga shouted.

Misato growled angrily as she watched the futile attacks they launched into the sky. She was about to shout for them to keep firing when Maya yelled another report on the pilots.

"Ma'am! We're losing him!" she cried. "Shinji's vitals are all approaching critical!"

Misato stared helplessly at the silent Unit-01 on the view screen. She had no options left. All she could do was scream.

"Shinji!"

**- x -**

Shinji opened his eyes to peer nervously at the familiar ceiling of his room. The memories of the battle were still fresh in his mind, as well as those of that strange black storm. He could still recall being overwhelmed with flashes of images and shrieking noises from thousands of events happening at once. It had been so much, he was sure he had passed out from it, which could explain why he was waking up in his room. Although, shouldn't he be waking up in the hospital if he had passed out during the battle?

But then what happened afterwards? How was he saved? What about Asuka?

Shinji sat up in his bed and glanced out the window of his room. It was nearly morning, and the sun had begun to rise. The city appeared calm, and there was no sign of the blackness that had fallen upon it, or anything else out of the ordinary.

Confused, Shinji fell back onto his bed and sighed. He didn't even know what day it was.

There was a sudden stomping outside of Shinji's room, and the door slid open to reveal the angry scowl of a certain red haired roommate.

Shinji rolled onto his side to see her and felt his spirits rise a little.

"Asuka!" he said happily. "You're here!"

The young girl growled and gave him an angry stare.

"Well, of course I'm here, you big dummy!" she yelled. "What? Did you dream you were finally rid of me!"

"What?" Shinji asked. He was shocked she'd ever ask such a thing of him. "No, of course not!"

"Humph," Asuka scowled. "Like it really matters! If anything, I should be dreaming of finally being rid of you! If only I were so lucky!"

Asuka's words cut deep. Shinji felt a sharp pain in his chest as the girl verbally assaulted him. She was always mean spirited, even cruel, but she had never said anything like this before.

Asuka watched the pathetic boy she lived with sit there sadly. She tapped her foot impatiently and growled at his inaction.

"Well?" she asked hotly.

Shinji swallowed the lump in his throat and took in a deep breath through his nose to steady himself before speaking.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You truly are a lost cause," Asuka said. "Get your sorry behind up and make my breakfast!"

Before Shinji could respond, Asuka spun on her heels and slid his door shut with as good a slam as it could make. Shinji sat in his now silent room feeling more rejected than he had felt in a very long time.

Slowly, Shinji got up on shaky legs and walked to his door. He paused before opening it, wondering what could possibly have Asuka in such a huff. Was it because he couldn't save her during the last battle?

Resigning himself to his fate, Shinji slid his door open and made his way to the kitchen to start making breakfast. When he arrived, he took a look around the apartment.

Everything was just as he remembered it. There were Asuka's magazines spread on the living room floor and Misato's empty beer cans on the dining room table. Still, something about the place seemed off. Shinji couldn't put his finger on it, but the apartment seemed to give him a strange chill at how eerily quiet it was.

Shrugging it off, Shinji went to the living room and bent down to pick up the magazines Asuka had left haphazardly on the floor. As he did so, however, he was taken by surprise as said girl cleared her throat behind him.

"Ahem!" she cleared her throat loudly.

Shinji bolted up straight and looked to where Asuka had snuck up on him. He couldn't fathom how she managed to sneak up on him when the apartment was so dead quiet. And strangely, he felt like the room had gotten colder, now that she was so close.

"Asuka!" Shinji said nervously.

The girl glared at Shinji and swiped the magazines he was holding.

"Do not touch my things!" she scowled.

Shinji flinched when Asuka spoke.

"Sorry," he said. "I was just cleaning up a little."

Asuka's eye started to twitch and out of nowhere, she gave the helpless boy a slap to his left cheek.

"You're supposed to be cooking!" she yelled.

Shinji rubbed his cheek and ducked reflexively at Asuka's display of anger. He hadn't seen her like this ever, especially in the morning. It usually took her a few hours to work up this kind of steam, and even her worst days paled in comparison to this.

Deciding his best option was to just do as he was told, Shinji walked to the kitchen without another word. He opened the fridge and examined what there was for him to use, still rubbing his cheek. Sadly, there wasn't much in the fridge for him to work with, which was odd, considering what he remembered being there the last time he cooked.

"Hey, Asuka," he said while grabbing some ingredients, "There's not much to work with, sorry."

Shinji looked over to the living room to see nothing but the empty room. Again, he wondered how the girl had managed to move through the apartment without him hearing. The silence was unsettling.

Shrugging off this strange detail, Shinji took out the measly ingredients from the fridge and began boiling some water to make the vegetables he had found. He then grabbed some ramen from the cupboard and sighed. He knew what Asuka's response was going to be to this kind of meal.

Shinji put the vegetables and ramen into the water, once it had boiled. He was stirring the contents slowly when someone cleared their throat behind him.

"Ahem!" Asuka said, annoyed as ever.

Shinji cringed at the sudden sound of Asuka behind him again. This was the second time she had snuck up on him this morning, and he could help but feel like he was being haunted somehow. Slowly, he turned to look at her nervously and flashed a weak smile.

Asuka had her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot still. She had the same angry scowl on her face as before. There was something else to her appearance, Shinji thought though. He couldn't quite figure it out, but something about the way she looked just didn't seem right.

Asuka's eye began to twitch as Shinji stood there staring at her. She tapped her foot louder and gave an even angrier scowl.

"Don't look at me," she said. Her tone was very threatening.

Shinji turned back towards the pot quickly and swallowed the lump in his throat. Asuka was acting like something out of his worst nightmares right now, and he didn't want to do anything to provoke her further.

"Well?" Asuka asked, her tone still threatening.

"What?" Shinji asked nervously. He didn't know what she wanted.

Had Shinji still been looking at her, he would have seen Asuka's eye start to twitch from the amount of anger boiling within her.

"What's taking so long?" she hissed through her clenched teeth.

Shinji started to stir the contents in the pot faster, hoping by some miracle it would speed up the cooking process. He was afraid that Asuka was going to resort to physical actions again.

"It's almost done," he said nervously. "The noodles just need another minute."

"Noodles?" Asuka asked in disgust. She suddenly grabbed Shinji's shoulder roughly, digging her nails into his skin. She spun him to face her and squeezed harder. "More Japanese crap?"

Shinji repressed his groan from the pain in his shoulder and did his best to not show his fear. The look on Asuka's face, however, was making that impossible.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

Asuka growled at Shinji's pathetic apology and threw him aside before stomping towards the stove. She lifted the pot with one hand and glared over to Shinji.

"You should know better than to cook this kind of crap for me in the morning," she said. She then threw the contents of the pot against the far wall of the kitchen and then dropped the pot. "Now, clean it up!"

Shinji was speechless. Asuka could have severely burned him, or herself from what she had just done. The girl didn't seem to care at all about anything, except to crush his spirit. Now truly afraid, Shinji obeyed, and got a towel to start cleaning the mess. As he leaned down to wash the floor of the still hot water, Asuka kicked him from behind.

"What's your problem?" he asked.

"You're my problem," Asuka spat back at the boy. "Your very existence! Everything about you!" Asuka gave Shinji another kick and stomped off before adding, "I wish I didn't have to see your stupid face!"

"Asuka," Shinji called to the girl. He didn't know what he did to deserve this, but wanted to try to make it better. Things had been going so well the past few weeks.

Asuka suddenly froze in her place, but did not turn to look at Shinji. She was perfectly still, like a statue.

"Look," he said slowly. He was still on his hands and knees, holding the towel to the spilled food on the floor. He was carefully thinking over his words."I don't know what's wrong, but I'll do whatever you want to make you happy."

Asuka turned her head slowly to glance at Shinji through the corner of her right eye. Her eye was ice cold as it peered at Shinji's face.

"You want to make me happy?" she asked coldly. "Go crawl into your little hole and die."

At the sound of Asuka's words, Shinji's mind snapped.

**- x -**

Asuka awoke with tears running from her eyes. She had no idea where she was, the last thing she remembered was being in the cockpit and the nightmares.

At the thought of the nightmares, Asuka felt fresh tears start to well in her eyes. They had been the most vivid she had ever had before, and just as horrifying as when the 15th Angel had violated her mind. They were of all the people in her life that had left her. Her father, her mother, Kaji, and others she'd rather not think of. Each time the memories played in her nightmares it was like reliving them, and her body ached from the sadness she felt.

Asuka wiped her tears with her right palm and took a look around. She was in her room back at the apartment, but things were not like she remembered. Her things were scattered in complete disarray, like she had thrown a massive fit. Several objects were also broken and scattered throughout the room.

"What happened here?" she thought out loud.

Asuka sat up and took stock of everything. Her room was dark and cold. The silence seemed to surround her like a cold hand, making her shiver. Not wanting to stay there alone, she got up and slowly made her way to her door.

Asuka opened her door and squinted when the light from the hallway poured in. She poked her head out, but saw no one in the dining area, or heard anything.

"I wonder where everyone is," she mumbled.

Suddenly, the sound of a door sliding open caught Asuka's attention. She looked across from where she was standing to see Shinji gazing at her from his own doorway. His mouth conveyed no emotion, but his eyes were filled with something she didn't like. They looked disgusted.

"Still deluding yourself, I see," he said coldly.

Asuka looked at Shinji in shock. She was surprised at how cold he was speaking to her and confused over what he was saying. And those eyes. She'd never seen him look at her with those eyes before.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. As usual, she tried to sound strong, but was failing at it this time.

Shinji took another step towards Asuka, which caused her to flinch. The look in his eyes seemed to intensify, and she could have sworn that the air around her got even colder as he neared her.

"Isn't it obvious where everyone's gone?" he asked. "They all left you."

Asuka choked back her tears as she stumbled backwards into her room. Shinji did not pursue her, nor show any care for her obvious sadness from his words. He only looked at her with those same cold eyes.

Those eyes are perhaps what hurt Asuka the most. She'd never admit it, but she liked Shinji's eyes, and the way they'd look at her. She'd often catch Shinji lost in thought gazing upon her in class, or at home. In those times, his eyes had a wondrous shine to them, and showed something she didn't see in anyone else. It made her feel desired, but not as an object. Those eyes had always made her feel wanted.

These eyes, however, did no convey those feelings. They were the complete opposite. Asuka couldn't stand them.

"What do you mean?' she asked weakly.

Shinji stepped into Asuka's doorway, his face now becoming a dark silhouette from the light in the hallway behind him. This only accented his cold blue eyes even more.

"They all left you, Asuka," he said. "They didn't want anything to do with you. Even Misato's gone from this place."

Asuka's lip was trembling as she felt her heart breaking. She couldn't believe what he was saying, and yet, his words cut into her. They tore at her resolve like blades into flesh, bleeding out her will to go on.

"I don't blame them," he continued. His hands were now tightened into fists. "Who could ever stand being around you? You treat everyone so horribly, and deserve the same."

Asuka sat there helplessly, shaking as she fought back the urge to cry. She didn't want to appear weak in front of Shinji. Even if everyone had left, he was still here, and she'd find some strength in that.

Shinji didn't seem to care that Asuka was on the verge of a break down. He gazed at her a moment longer before turning around and walking back to his own room.

Asuka saw Shinji's retreating form and suddenly panicked. She felt a sense of dread come over her that made her whole body feel like ice. She crawled forward pathetically and reached her right hand out to him.

"Wait, Shinji!" she begged.

Shinji stopped in his doorway, but did not look back at her. Asuka was at her own doorway now, still on her hands and knees. She just couldn't find the strength to stand up.

"Please, come back," she asked. Even her voice was trembling.

Shinji turned his head slowly to look at Asuka through the corner of his right eye. The cold glare from his eye halted Asuka's advance.

"I'm never coming back," he said.

At the sound of Shinji's words, Asuka's mind snapped.

**- x -**

"No good!" Maya shouted as she tried Misato's suggestion. She had been trying to maintain Shinji's life signs using the heart massage and neural shock commands, but the intrusion seemed to prevent them from being effective.

"Damn," Misato watched Shinji's life signs continue to fade.

As if matters weren't bad enough, Asuka's screen started to blink a red warning, and Maya spoke the obvious.

"Asuka's vitals are also going critical!"

"What can we do?" Misato asked, hoping for someone to have a miracle up their sleeve.

There were no miracles in the command center, however. There were only more nightmares.

"Major!" Hyuga shouted. "AT-Field detected near Units 01 and 02! Something's coming out!"

Misato didn't answer, but looked up at the main view screen. This was it. The unseen attacker was finally revealing itself.

On the screen, the black storm parted over Unit-02 to reveal a giant blood red head. It had a rounded carapace, like the mass production Evas, but was more elongated, and its underside had several long sharp extensions, like feelers or tusks. This head was enormous, being larger than an Evangelion already. With no discernable eyes, it could very well be that this wasn't even its entire head, and was merely its mouth.

As the creature descended from the storm, the black clouds broke away from it like a dying tornado. They receded from the creature, but remained spread over Tokyo-3, keeping it under a cover of darkness.

The creature's body was larger than any Angel they had ever faced. It was even larger than the one that had attempted to destroy Tokyo-3 by using itself as a bomb. It was shaped very oddly, showing recognizable features from several animals. Its body like that of a whales, except it had three pairs of fins instead of one, and they had long claw-like tips. Its tail was also much longer, and had a single blade-like fin that jutted straight back at its end. Along its whole back was what looked like a thick, segmented carapace. Perhaps most disturbing of all was its underside.

Eight giant, long tentacles extended from the stomach, all covered in the same segmented carapace that the main body had. Their tips were also shaped like claws. Down the center of its entire underside were crossed spikes, almost appearing like some kind of stitching.

"So that's it," Misato said as she stared at the monstrosity that now cast its shadow over Tokyo-3.

The giant creature continued to ignore the thousands of munitions fire that bombarded its AT-Field. The JSSDF and UN forces had finally arrived to their positions, and were also firing on the target as instructed. Tanks, VTOLs, and warships were firing from all sides, but did little to distract the creature as it hovered over Units 01 and 02.

"What's the status of its AT-Field?" Misato asked.

"No effect," Hyuga said sadly.

Aoba turned in his seat and clicked off his headset before saying, "The UN is standing by with the N2 mines, ma'am."

Misato frowned as she watched the continuing assault. She still had a thread of hope that they could save the pilots, so she wanted to hold off on the N2 mines. She doubted they would do anything to something this powerful anyways, but it was their most powerful option without the Evas.

Finally, Misato's prayers were answered as Ritsuko came hobbling into the command center with a nearly naked Rei helping her along. The blonde woman groaned with each step, and leaned on her left arm when she reached Maya's station.

"I'm guessing things are going badly," she said with a rasp as she saw the blinking red warnings on the monitors.

Misato nearly hugged her friend, but stopped when she saw the bloody torn sleeve that had been tied around her right shoulder. She wanted to ask what had happened, but knew that would have to wait.

"Ritsuko," she said happily.

"Misato," she replied weakly. "What's going on with the pilots?"

"Well, uh..." Misato really wasn't sure how to answer, but thankfully Maya did.

"The target is using some kind of mental intrusion on the targets," she said. "It's unlike anything we've encountered before. All entry plug life support systems are ineffective at halting the attack. Both pilots are past the ego-borderlines and are going critical."

Ritsuko took a second to take that all in, and then began to type in commands one handed.

"The LCL barriers?" she asked while leaning over Maya.

"No effect," she replied.

"Well, what about the... ah!" Ritsuko winced as she lost her balance. Misato and Rei both quickly caught her and helped her stand.

"I've tried everything, ma'am," Maya said sadly. She didn't like failing her mentor.

"Not everything," Ritsuko said. She smiled and pat Maya on the shoulder.

The doctor looked over to the elevator behind them and then at Misato.

"Get my laptop and take me down," she said. "We'll use the Magi."

"The Magi?" Misato asked.

"Yes," Ritsuko replied with conviction. She was already hobbling over to the elevators.

Misato grabbed Ritsuko's laptop that was always present at Maya's station and took Ritsuko's good arm to help her to the elevator. They took it down to the ground floor of the command center where the three Magi were.

Ritsuko sat down slowly and opened the compartment next to Casper. Once it was raised, Misato went ahead and plugged in the laptop before placing it in front of the doctor.

"How are the Magi going to help?" she asked. She trusted Ritsuko when it came to the Magi, but needed to know what they were doing.

"The Magi are programmed to think and operate like human brains with super computing power," she answered.

Ritsuko quickly began to type in lines of code with her good hand, thankful she had learned to type one-handed back in college with both hands. She knew she only had a few minutes if she wanted to have a chance at saving the pilots, but she was positive that her plan would work.

"We can use our systems to link them to the plugs' life support systems," she continued. "By using the neural shock systems connected to their A-10 neural connectors, the Magi can act as a sort of buffer. As long as they can fool this thing into thinking they're actual minds, it should slow it down."

Misato was still confused, but it did give her a glimmer of hope. She smiled as the doctor continued to type quickly.

"You're a genius," she said.

Ritsuko smiled at the praise. "Thanks, but it won't solve our problem just yet," she said. "I can only halt the intrusion. It'll be up to Shinji and Asuka to overcome it."

"Right," Misato agreed.

"Alright," Ritsuko said as she stopped typing. "Here goes nothing."

Ritsuko hit the enter key and there was a moment of silence as the two women waited for any results. They both looked up at the section of the command center where Maya and the others were seated. Finally, Maya shouted over the noise of the battle over the open com.

"It's working!" she shouted. "Life signs in both pilots are getting stronger and mental contamination has halted!"

"Yes! You did it, Ritsuko!" Misato cheered.

Ritsuko let out a breath she had been holding and put her hand on Casper's cold frame.

"Thanks again, mother," she said warmly.

Ritsuko suddenly winced. She had been absorbed with entering the code for the Magi, and forgotten her pain momentarily, but now it was all coming back with a burning vengeance.

Misato quickly shouted for someone to call a med team and grabbed the emergency kit on the wall.

"Hang in there, Ritsuko," she said. She opened the kit and helped her friend lay down. "Let's take a look."

Misato unwrapped the bloody sleeve tied around the woman's shoulder and winced as the blood spread on the floor. There was a large bullet wound, but it didn't look like it had hit her in a vital area. Misato knew that before she did anything, she'd have to see if the bullet was still in the shoulder.

"This is going to hurt," she said.

Ritsuko stifled a laugh. "It already does," she said weakly.

Misato grinned apologetically and lifted the woman by the shoulders. She felt around Ritsuko's back, and felt the wound at the back, causing the woman to cry in pain.

"Well, the bullet went right through at least," she said.

Ritsuko nodded. With the bullet passing through, things were a lot less complicated.

"Alright," Misato said while helping her friend back down. "I'm going to do what I can until the med team arrives."

Ritsuko didn't answer, but nodded. She had done what she could to help, and now it was her turn to wait and hope.

**- x -**

Shinji stared blankly at Asuka. Her words had completely shattered him. Her tone was so hateful, unlike anything he'd heard before. He couldn't understand. His body trembled from his utter sadness. He felt completely numb and couldn't breathe through his tightened chest.

The apartment around Shinji then began to become fuzzy. The walls blurred, and the lights dimmed. Shinji thought it was his own eyes that were doing it. He thought he was going to cry, or pass out.

Instead, however, Shinji felt his mind clear slightly, and his body become stronger. The world around him continued to blur and distort, but the silence faded as well. Faint whispers and echoes could be heard all around him, and Shinji looked up at the unseen voices.

"What's that?" he asked.

Suddenly, Asuka made an inhuman growling sound.

Shinji looked to where Asuka had been standing to see her clenching her head and hissing in pain.

"Asuka?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Asuka continued to hiss and growl in apparent pain. Her body began to shake and the room around her was flickering. A strange black abyss then appeared around her, and Asuka glared at Shinji.

"I'll kill you," she hissed. Her voice no longer sounded like her own. It was raspy, and low.

Shinji tried to get up, but wasn't fast enough. Asuka had rushed over to him and grabbed his neck in her hands. Her hands felt like ice as they grasped his throat, and Shinji choked for air.

Asuka hissed like a snake as she choked Shinji. Her skin had become a pail grey, and her hair was no longer a fiery red. It now looked worn and lifeless.

Shinji looked weakly into Asuka's eyes as he tried to free himself from her grip. His vision was becoming more blurred, but the whispers were becoming louder, confusing him. If he was dying, why was one of his senses becoming stronger?

Through all the pain and despair, the echoes and whispers became clearer. Shinji could hear a girl crying all around them, as if it was coming from a speaker. He recognized the voice immediately as that of Asuka.

The room dimmed momentarily to reveal another scene around the pair. Shinji recognized it as the entry plug of his Eva. A moment of realization dawned on Shinji now. He was still in Unit-01, and this was some kind of nightmare. An intrusion of his worst fears.

Shinji glared back at the image of Asuka. The plug vanished to reveal the apartment, but it was now shaking and flickering like there was an earthquake.

"You... bitch!" he growled.

"Die!" the image of Asuka hissed.

Shinji felt his strength come completely back at the sound of this monster's voice. This voice, even when it was Asuka's, was all wrong. The tone was too cruel for her. Shinji realized now that that was what was off. Even when Asuka was at her meanest, he could tell she didn't mean it. This thing was not Asuka, and he wasn't going to let it destroy his image of her.

Shinji grabbed the creature's neck with his own hands and choke it as hard as he could. He focused on his memories of Asuka and glared at this cheap imitation. He almost felt like laughing as he remembered the obvious sarcasm and joking manner in which Asuka frequently ridiculed him. He had been too naive and afraid to see it before, but now he did.

Determined to silence this demon, Shinji bent his thumbs to dig into its throat.

"How dare you," he said. "How dare you use my fears against me!"

The facade of Asuka croaked as Shinji's thumbs dug into its throat. Blood was starting to leak as they bore into its flesh.

"I won't let you!" Shinji yelled. "I won't let you disgrace my thoughts of her!"

With that, Shinji forced his thumbs into the demon's throat and crushed its vocal cords. Black blood poured out of its neck and it gave a gargled croak as the world around them shattered to reveal the cockpit of Unit-01. The image of Asuka vanished, and Shinji's mind was set free.

Unit-01's eyes lit up, and it gave a mighty roar.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:9**

**- And I Will Cast Thee Into the Sea -**

The command center was clamoring with activity at the news that Unit-01 had reactivated. There was a newfound resolve, now that their weapon against AT-Fields was back in action.

"Unit-01 has reactivated!" Maya shouted happily. "Pilot's life signs returning to normal. Sync ratio past the 100% barrier!"

Misato was busy tending to Ritsuko's wound when she heard Maya. Normally she'd be worried when Shinji broke the 100% sync barrier. Last time he had done it he was absorbed by Unit-01, and she was afraid he had been lost forever. This time, however, she had trust in Shinji to not be lost. There was nothing she could do, after all. This matter was out of her hands. All she could do was trust in Shinji's convictions.

"He's a strong kid," Ritsuko said suddenly.

Misato looked down at her friend who just a few months ago had seemed on the edge of being lost. Now she was more like the Ritsuko she remembered. The Ritsuko before all the mysteries and secrets. This made her smile.

"Yes, he is," she agreed. She called up to the lieutenants. "Tell everyone to hold their fire. We don't want to interfere with Unit-01."

**- x -**

Unit-01 roared as its body shook, and its restraints hissed. Smoke flowed from the circular markings along its armor, and its arms appeared to become bigger as it bore its teeth.

Shinji growled as he felt Unit-01 fill his own body with strength. His eyes were glowing, much like his Eva's, and he was glaring at the monster that loomed over him.

The monster turned as if to look at him with unseen eyes. It was now pointed at him with its head over Unit-02 and the rest of its massive body beyond.

Shinji clenched his right hand into a fist and decided he had no choice but to attack it head on. He grabbed his control arms and clicked them forward, sending the bestial Unit-01 rushing forward.

The creature showed did not move as Unit-01 came rushing at it. It instead descended down on Unit-02, burrowing its sharp tusks into the ground. They surrounded the defenseless Eva, like the fingers of a claw arm preparing to lift up its prize.

Shinji grabbed one of the Eva Series' discarded swords as he rushed towards the monster and leapt high into the air. He swung down hard at the head, but was deflected by an octagon of light.

Shinji cursed as the AT-Field threw him back. He leapt again and again, slashing through more and more layers of octagons that appeared to impede his advance. They formed into stacks as he continued his assault, making getting to Asuka nearly impossible. This did, however, present Shinji with a unique opportunity.

Looking at the wall of octagons, he noticed that the top layers had moved several down in order to reinforce the area he was attacking. As long as he kept the pressure up, the field did not seem to be able to recover.

"Alright, we'll do this the Asuka way!" Shinji smirked.

Taking a high leap, Shinji landed Unit-01 on top of one of the octagons and used his sword to stay in place. He then sprang up another layer and repeated the same, using them as a means of vaulting upwards. The octagons moved to follow him, but they couldn't match his speed, and as he reached the top, just above the head, there were only a few layers to break through.

Shinji raised his sword high as he made a final leap for the beast's head. He tightened his grip on the handle, forcing his will into the blade and felt it contort. In Unit-01's hands, the sword had morphed into the lance of Longinus, and it easily stabbed through the layers of shielding protecting the monster's head. The two pronged lance thrust into the thick carapace, causing the monster to scream loudly, much like the fifth angel had when Shinji had shot it with the positron cannon.

Black blood sprayed out of the beast's head as Shinji drove the lance into its thick carapace. The beast began to shake back and forth, trying to toss Unit-01 off. Shinji held onto the lance tightly, driving it deeper as he was thrashed about.

Unable to throw Unit-01 off, the beast whipped one of its tentacles at it. It missed as Shinji spun around the lance in time and then released it as another tentacle came flying at him.

Without the lance in his hands, Shinji was finally thrown back by the beast's AT-Field. He flipped Unit-01 as it was thrown to land on his feet and rolled out of the way as the tentacles continued to whip at him.

Shinji dodged frantically as the tentacles whipped and lashed at him. They drove him backwards, away from Unit-02. He suddenly found him stuck with his back against something. He looked back to see another of the discarded swords and pulled it out of the ground.

The beast saw Shinji take the sword and immediately brought its AT-Field up, layering the octagons even more than before now that it knew what the swords were capable of.

Shinji held the sword with one of its blades pointing at the beast as he slowly strafed to the side. He eyed the AT-Field as it mirrored his movements, keeping between him and Unit-02.

"Damn," Shinji cursed. He wasn't sure how he could defeat this monster.

As Shinji tried to think, the faint sounds of crying come through the com. He recognized it as Asuka immediately.

"Asuka?" Shinji asked.

Asuka gave no sign of having heard Shinji. Her sobs continued to come through the com.

"Asuka!" Shinji yelled, but again, she did not respond.

Shinji clenched his control arms tightly and ground his teeth as his anger burned in his chest. He could feel the LCL around him embracing his feelings, and screamed as he charged at the beast and its AT-Field.

**- x -**

"I don't believe this," Maya said in shock. "His sync ratio has gone over 150%, but there's no sign of contamination!"

She had been monitoring Shinji's life signs closely since the reactivation of Unit-01. Remarkably, his vitals had completely stabilized, and there was no sign of the intrusion. What was more, Shinji was now descending to dangerous depths within Unit-01, which usually resulted in mental contamination. His brain waves, however, had remained steady.

"Great," Misato said, although she wasn't really interested in Shinji at the moment. She trusted him to make the right choice, and had a feeling he wouldn't vanish like he did last time.

She stood up as Ritsuko was lifted onto a stretcher by the medical team that had come to take care of her.

"What about Asuka?" she asked.

Maya frowned at the questions. The situation had worsened for Asuka. With the intrusion having failed with Shinji, it seemed to have focused on her alone, and the Magi were having trouble keeping the buffer up.

"Not good," she said. "Intrusion is starting to advance slowly. Asuka doesn't seem able to break it."

"What about the Magi?" Misato asked.

"They're still working as a buffer, but the intrusion is getting stronger," Maya said. "The Magi are having difficulties keeping up."

Misato let out a sigh as they made their way towards the elevator. Shinji needed to hurry if they were going to save Asuka.

**- x -**

Shinji shouted as he sliced through the layers of the beast's AT-Field. As he broke through an entire group, another formed in its place and smashed into him. Shinji winced and brought up his sword against this column of octagons and pushed against them as hard as he could. They remained dead locked briefly, but the beast brought more layers of its AT-Field to this column and used their combined strength to throw Shinji back.

Shinji groaned as he was hurled backwards. His Eva rolled several times before he finally got it steady again. He was breathing heavily. This battle had been the longest he'd ever had to endure, and his arms were starting to feel like lead.

"This has to end," he said to himself.

Shinji took a deep breath and emptied his mind of the thoughts that troubled him. He focused on the one thing he wanted to accomplish and reached out to Unit-01.

"Mother," he said, "I don't know if that's you I've been feeling, but if it is, I need your help. I need you now, more than ever. Please, help me! Help me save Asuka!"

The plug became completely silent and a heart beat echoed loudly. Shinji felt a warm presence wrap him like a blanket and fill his body with strength.

Unit-01 roared, and its eyes glowed orange. Its shoulder pylons blew off as six wings of light sprouted from its back, breaking the armor apart. The wings spread to the sky, piercing the darkness that the beast had created. The light of the afternoon sun shined down on Unit-01 as the sword in its hand became the lance of Longinus.

**- x -**

"Pilot sync ratio is over 200%!" Maya shouted.

"Unit-01's AT-Field is more powerful than anything we've encountered!" Hyuga added. "It's literally off the scale!"

"Pilot's plug depth has passed safe limits," Maya said. "I can't even begin to speculate what's going to happen to him!"

Commander Fuyutsuki held his breath as he watched Unit-01 transform on the view screen. This was the moment he had feared. Unit-01 was ascending at Shinji's behest, and it was his will alone that would be known.

_God have mercy,_ he thought to himself. _Unit-01 has ascended. Our judgment is at hand._

**- x -**

Shinji felt like he could do anything. His body felt stronger than it ever did before. Within his hands, he felt an immense power, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It was the strength of his will manifesting into physical power.

Shinji stepped forward in Unit-01. He felt invincible now. In his heart, he knew nothing could stop him, not even death.

The Beast did not flinch at Unit-01's transformation. It held its ground behind its AT-Field, but it was useless.

Shinji ran forward and effortlessly broke through the layers of octagons with Unit-01's AT-Field. They layers of shielding shattered like glass, and within seconds, Shinji had reached Unit-02 at last.

"I'm here, Asuka!" Shinji shouted through the com.

He looked at the four massive tusks that surrounded them and raised his lance. He quickly spun to his right, breaking one of the tusks in half with the sharp edge of the lance.

The beast screamed as its tusk was broken and lifted the other three from the ground. It brought all eight of its tentacles down in their place, meaning to crush both Evas together and be done with it.

Shinji saw the tentacles coming and brought his wings down to form a protective canopy around himself and Unit-02. The tentacles wrapped around his wings tightly, but they couldn't crush them as he reinforced them with Unit-01's AT-Field.

Shinji groaned as he pushed against the tightening coil of the tentacles. He dropped his lance and spread Unit-01's arms wide to project his AT-Field to full, creating a dome of orange light around himself.

"Come on, Asuka!" Shinji said through his clenched teeth. "Wake up!"

Asuka's weak crying could still be heard over the com, making Shinji feel a weight in his heart. He needed to reach her.

Shinji fought to maintain his AT-Field. His whole body was burning from the strain, but he did not relent.

The beast was not out of weapons, however. The claw-like stitching on its throat opened to reveal a massive eye. The eye was blood red, and gazed down on Unit-01. From its eye, the beast extended its AT-Field and brought it crushing down on Unit-01.

Shinji felt the immense weight bearing down on him. The strength of his will was the only thing that kept him going as he pressed on.

The beast continued to press its AT-Field down on Unit-01. Finding that it could not overpower the field with its own, nor crush the wings of light, it changed its angle of attack. Loosening two of its tentacles, it snaked their claw-like tips through the cracks in the wings and pierced through Unit-01's AT-Field.

Shinji felt his dome shaped AT-Field break as the claws pressed in on it. He caught them with his hands and quickly extended a new, flat AT-Field above him to keep the beast's at bay. He now found himself taxed to the absolute limit. His wings of light were holding the tentacles attempting to coil around him while his hands pushed back the claws. He could feel the muscles in his own arms tearing as Unit-01's began to rupture.

Shinji took all the pain and let it pass through him. He could take it. He would take it. He refused to surrender, and cried in rebellion to the beast.

"Damn it, Asuka! Wake! Up!" he screamed.

**- x -**

Asuka remained on her hands and knees, crying. He had done it. Shinji had closed his door on her and effectively left. When she saw that door slide shut, Asuka felt like the air was suffocating her.

She had lost everyone, even the one she felt would never leave her. Through all of her harsh treatment of Shinji, he always stayed with her. She found it endearing, even if she never showed it, but now he too had left her.

Asuka tried to comprehend what was happening. It all seemed so unreal, and yet the reality of it had effectively slapped her in the face. She'd lost everything, and was slipping into despair.

With no strength left, Asuka let the tears flow freely. She didn't care anymore. There was no point in keeping the facade going. Asuka let go of everything and felt her heart break.

No one cared. No one came to comfort her in her time of need. Her darkest hour would be spent alone.

"I'm here, Asuka," a faint whisper suddenly said.

Asuka hiccupped as she tried to stop her tears. She wasn't sure what she had heard, but it sounded like a voice. She wiped her tears with her hands and looked up at Shinji's door, but no one was there.

"Shinji..." she said weakly. She thought it was him that had spoken to her.

Asuka turned away from Shinji's door, but remained kneeling on the floor. Her body was completely numb, and her legs refused to move.

She looked at the cold apartment. That's how it would be forever, cold. It had never felt like this before. Asuka never dreaded the place like she did now.

"Come on, Asuka," the whisper spoke again.

Asuka put her hand to her head and shook it tiredly. She didn't want to hear things in her head now. She wanted it all to end.

"Wake up!" The voice said louder. It was more than a whisper now, and echoed in Asuka's mind.

Asuka perked up at recognizing the voice. She was sure it had been Shinji that said it, but he sounded so far away. The words echoed like they had been shouted to her at the far end of a long tunnel.

"Shinji?" Asuka asked out loud.

Asuka looked around the hallway and squinted as the lights flickered and the walls seemed to blur. She wondered what was going on, and managed to crawl over to the wall by her doorway. When she reached out to touch it, the hallway around her vanished for a brief second, revealing a dim, amber colored chamber and then returning. The strange flicker caused Asuka to pull her hand back quickly.

"What the hell is this?" she asked herself.

Asuka looked at her hand that had seemingly passed through the wall and then at the hall she was in. The strange coldness of the walls seemed to creepy up on her now, as if trying to stifle her. As she felt the icy grip upon her, though, it seemed to be pushed back by another force, causing the amber chamber to flicker for a split second again.

"What is this place?" Asuka asked out loud. "Where am I!"

Shinji's door suddenly slid open. Asuka turned to look at the boy standing in his doorway.

Shinji was shaking violently with his hand grasping the open door. He was looking down at the ground, and hissing like a snake.

Asuka tried to get up, but still found her legs lacked the strength. She looked nervously at Shinji and felt that something was very wrong with what was happening.

"Shinji?" she asked nervously.

Shinji replied with a growl that Asuka could only describe as demonic. He lifted his head to glare at her and suddenly lunged at her. Asuka tried to react, but couldn't move as the boy grasped her neck tightly.

Asuka gasped for air as Shinji's ice cold hands crushed her throat. She weakly grabbed his wrists with her hands and struggled feebly.

"Shin... why?" she asked.

Shinji growled and hissed as he strangled her and simply replied "Die!"

Asuka looked sadly into Shinji's eyes. They looked different than she remembered them. Gone was the gentle kindness, replaced by disgust and hatred. They were far from the eyes she always snuck looks at, and they sapped her will to resist.

"Damn it, Asuka! Wake! Up!" The voice of Shinji echoed loudly.

The words snapped Asuka out of her frozen state and she saw the amber chamber clicker in her eyes for a second. She suddenly realized what it was, and where she was. She was still in the dim cockpit of Unit-02, and this place was some kind of nightmare in her mind.

Now awake, Asuka looked into Shinji's eyes again with clear eyes. The pools of gentle blue had dimmed to a cold grey. They lacked the shine of life and wonder that Shinji's were supposed to have, and this angered Asuka.

Breathing deeply, Asuka brought her hands to Shinji's neck. Whatever this thing was, it was not Shinji. She didn't know how, but it had known her deepest fears, and most precious secrets. Everything in this world was crafted to perfection to break her will, but it had lost. She knew this wasn't real, and that the real Shinji hadn't given up on her yet.

"You bastard!" she yelled.

The image of Shinji hissed back at her as it continued to choke her, but its cold hands no longer seemed to affect her. Asuka growled at this sick, twisted facade and slid her hands up to its face.

"How dare you!" she spat. "How dare you use my fears against me!"

Asuka glared angrily into those grey, hateful eyes and felt her strength come back entirely.

"I won't let you!" she shouted. "I won't let you destroy my thoughts of him!"

Asuka then placed her thumbs over those blank eyes and squeezed the facade's head tightly. She dug her thumbs into its eyes and gouged them. The image of Shinji screamed as black blood ran from its sockets and the world around them shattered like glass to reveal the dim cockpit of Unit-02.

The image of Shinji vanished as Asuka became fully awake, and the cockpit lit up, revealing the world around her.

Unit-02's jaws opened to reveal four glowing eyes, and it roared loudly as it awoke from its long slumber.

**- x -**

Everyone in the command center was shocked when Unit-02's AT-Field was detected. They had been working frantically to aid Shinji's battle with the beast when it appeared like a glimmer of hope.

"Unit-02 is reactivating!" Maya reported, her surprise obvious in her voice. "Synchronization re-established! It's over 100%! Pilot's life signs are back to normal! No sign of contamination!"

Misato had returned to the second level of the command center by then and watched through bewildered eyes.

"How is that possible?" she asked. "Even the entry plug's back-ups were running out."

"Unknown," Maya reported.

"Switch to the feed from Unit-01," Misato ordered. "I want a closer look."

Hyuga said his affirmative and keyed in the command. The view screen switched from their distant view to Unit-01's external camera. With it standing right over Unit-02 in the position it was in, it was looking right down on the red Eva.

To Misato's surprise, in Unit-02's unarmored chest there was a dim S2 organ in place of the core.

"An S2 organ?" Misato asked in surprise. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Maya said. She had no idea how this was possible. Like Unit-01's, this S2 organ went against everything she had learned about the Evas.

Fuyutsuki, on the other hand, did know. He knew all too well why Unit-02 had an S2 organ for its core, and why it was dormant. It was all part of the early designs of the Evas developed over ten years ago in secret. Only a handful of people were aware of this part of the design, and even fewer knew the reason for it. Fuyutsuki was one such person, and he showed no emotion as the secret was revealed.

_Your plan be damned, Ikari. _The man thought to himself. _Everything is unraveling, but it seems your efforts may be our saving grace._

Fuyutsuki observed the image before him. Evangelion Unit-01, now ascended to its god-like form was being brought to its knees by this indomitable beast. At its feet, Unit-02 was rising from its slumber. It was answering the absolute will of its pilot. Together, there was no telling what they could do. There was no telling what they _would_ do. Fuyutsuki had no idea. All he could do was watch and hope.

**- x -**

Asuka breathed in newfound strength as Unit-02 came to life. She felt it fill her with power, and felt stronger than she ever had before. She wiped the tears from her face and collected herself.

Looking up through the view screen, she saw Unit-01 struggling under the many attacks of whatever it was that had attacked her mind. She saw the wings of light surrounding her like a protective shell and Unit-01's AT-Field glowing brightly overhead. Red blood was also raining down on her from Unit-01 as its arms were breaking from holding back two massive claws.

"My God, Shinji," Asuka said to herself. She didn't know how he could withstand something like that for long.

"Asuka," Shinji said through the com. His voice was hoarse and strained.

"Shinji!" Asuka called back. She wasn't even sure if her com was open.

"Asuka," Shinji replied, a little more upbeat this time.

Asuka smiled at knowing he could hear her.

Her moment of happy reflection was short lived as Unit-01 fell to its knees over her. Its arms were losing the battle against the claws attempting to tear into it, and the AT-Field of the beast above them was crushing him.

"Help me..." Shinji begged weakly. It sounded like he was going to pass out.

Asuka looked around frantically. The wings of light seemed to be holding back some kind of tentacles wrapped around them. Through the cracks between the wings, Asuka could make out a giant eye above them, which seemed to be what was projecting the AT-Field that Shinji was battling.

"What can I do?" she asked desperately. She had no idea how she could possibly help.

"The lance..." Shinji said. "Use the lance."

Asuka looked to her right and saw what Shinji was talking about. There was a two pronged lance of Longinus on the ground beside them.

"The Lance of Longinus?" she asked in amazement. She thought it had been lost in space.

Shinji groaned as the stress of the attacks pushed him down further and shouted, "Asuka!"

Asuka hastily grabbed the lance and looked for a plan of attack. In their current situation, however, she could barely move at all.

"I can't do anything like this," she said into the com. "Shinji, you have to push harder."

Shinji didn't answer, but Unit-01 began to slowly stand as he fought harder.

Asuka got Unit-02 to its feet and stood with the lance, ready to strike. She took several calming breaths and gripped the lance tightly as she focused on the eye above them.

"Shinji, do you trust me?" she asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Shinji asked back. His words came through heavy breaths.

"Do you trust me!" she repeated more sternly.

"Of course I do!" Shinji yelled back, as if the question was silly. "I trust you with my life!"

"All I need is one second," she said. "Give me a clear shot for one second."

Shinji was silent for a moment, but then said "alright. I'll try."

Asuka pulled her right arm back with the lance and prepared to throw it. She watched and waited for the opening she needed in silent prayer.

_Come on, Shinji..._

Shinji took a deep breath and pushed with all of his might. He focused his will on breaking free and screamed loudly with everything he had.

Unit-01 roared as its arms regenerated in an instant. The newly repaired arms threw the claws back, and Unit-01 rose to its feet. It let out a mighty roar as it raised its wings from the ground and pushed against the coiled tentacles. The wings of light began to glow brightly as Unit-01 gave everything it had, and in a brilliant flash, they spread, ripping the tentacles apart.

The beast cried in pain and flew back as its tentacles were torn apart by the wings of light. Black blood spewed forth from the six damaged tentacles, falling to the forest below along with large chunks of flesh.

Asuka now had the opening she needed. The beast had retreated slightly, giving her more room. She reared back and threw the lance with all of her might. The lance passed Unit-01's AT-Field and tore through the beast's before piercing the giant eye on its throat.

As the lance pierced into its eye, the beast screamed loudly. More black blood exploded from the eye, raining down on the Evas and Tokyo-3's countryside.

With the weight of the attacks no longer upon him, Shinji extended his AT-Field to full, creating a column of octagons. He extended the column and used the AT-Field to launch the beast away, casting it into the ocean.

The beast did not resist as the octagons smashed into it. It was silent as fell from the sky and into the ocean. As it sank, the black clouds above began to clear, revealing a golden sky with a setting sun.

**- x -**

Misato didn't say anything as she watched the giant creature disappear under the depths of the ocean. The tension in the room was thick, and everyone was silent until Hyuga finally reported the obvious.

"The target has disappeared into the ocean," he said.

"Has it gone silent?" Misato asked.

"Inconclusive," Hyuga said. "There's no AT-Field activity, but without the destruction of a core, the Magi cannot rule out its return."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," Misato said with a sigh. "Remain on yellow alert, and coordinate with the JSSDF and UN. We'll need to keep a look out for it."

"Roger," Hyuga said.

Misato took a moment to let her head clear and looked over to Maya.

"What's the status of the pilots?" she asked.

"Asuka's life signs all read normal," Maya said. "Shinji's are a little weak, but still within tolerable limits."

"Right," Misato said. It was understandable that Shinji would show signs of damage after that battle. "Have a medical team standing by when we recover the pilots."

"Yes, ma'am," Maya said before turning back to her console.

"What about the Evas?" she then asked.

"Both remain active," Maya said. "Sync ratios are dropping back below 100%. There should be no problem recovering them."

Misato leaned over on the railing and let out a deep sigh.

"It's finally over," she said.

"It's been one hell of a day," Hyuga remarked.

"I'll say," Misato agreed. "I can only imagine the paperwork shit storm that's coming my way."

"Perks of the job," Hyuga said jokingly.

"Right..." Misato said dejectedly. She hated having to deal with the public relations fallout after each battle. Thankfully, this one resulted in minimal damage to the city, and potentially no casualties. The political implications of what SEELE did, however, made her worry about the days to come. That was for another day, however, and Misato still had work to do in the present.

"Begin the recovery of Units 01 and 02," she said.

"Roger," Hyuga said.

"Prepping for recovery of Units 01 and 02 via route sixty-seven," Aoba said.

"Wait, something's happening with Unit-01, pilot sync ratio has ceased," Maya said suddenly. "It's shutting down."

On the view screen, Unit-01 stood just as it had been at the end of the battle with its arms and legs spread wide. Its wings of light had vanished, leaving smoking cuts on the back armor where they had spread from. Like a door off its hinges, Unit-01 fell backwards with a colossal thud as it deactivated from a lack of synchronization.

Misato could feel the vein popping from the annoyed twitch in her eye. Couldn't anything go without a hitch today?

**- x -**

Shinji couldn't keep his focus any longer. As he saw the beast sinking into the ocean, he gave into his exhaustion and heaved a deep sigh. His body felt like it had been beaten with by a mob with bats, and he couldn't budge the control arms, leaving Unit-01's arms extended like a basketball player attempting defense.

Shinji felt like he was going to pass out. He was so tired. He felt the presence of Unit-01 fading away along with his strength. The cockpit suddenly became dim as the instruments shut down, and then Shinji felt the feeling of falling.

Unit-01 was falling backwards, but Shinji did not react. He let himself float harmlessly in the LCL as the loud thud of his Eva hitting the Earth shook the plug.

Asuka had watched all of this from her cockpit and was wearing a rather unimpressed look on her face.

"What. An. Idiot," she said to herself.

Sighing, Asuka moved Unit-02 over to the deactivated Unit-01 and lifted its shoulders up so the entry plug could be ejected.

"God, you're such a pain," she said as she looked down at Unit-01's back. "You coming out, or what?"

"Asuka, is that you?" Shinji asked tiredly.

"Of course it's me, idiot!" Asuka spat back, although it wasn't an angry tone. She sounded more like she was surprised he'd even ask. "Now, hurry up and get your plug ejected!"

Asuka turned Unit-01 over so that Shinji would be able to get out of the plug easily once it was ejected. Just as she did so, however, her cockpit controls began to flicker, and the familiar sound of the plug shutting down rang through her ears as everything went dark.

"What the hell?" Asuka asked, annoyed. "Ah!" she screamed when the cockpit started to shake as Unit-02 collapsed.

Without power, Unit-02 now fell on top of Unit-01's back, much like how they had ended up at the end of the battle with the seventh angel.

**- x -**

In the command center, Misato's twitch had worsened as she took in the image on the view screen.

"Unbelievable," she said, now sounding completely defeated for the day. "What happened to Unit-02?"

"Well, it was already out of power before it reactivated," Maya said. "I guess when the sync ratio dropped under the 100% barrier the dormant S2 organ shut down."

Misato slapped her forehead with her palm and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, whatever," she said. "Just transmit the eject signals and get them out of there."

"Yes ma'am," Maya answered. "Transmitting the eject signal now."

Fuyutsuki watched all this in stunned silence. He had witnessed the ascension of Unit-01 into the god the Ikari had been working to create for nearly fifteen years. The ascension was supposed to deliver the pilot's will, and yet, nothing had seemed to have happened. The battle won, Unit-01 simply returned to its normal state and effectively fainted from the ordeal. What was more, Shinji had kept his humanity intact.

"Could his will be that strong?" he wondered to himself out loud. There were many unanswered questions to be looked into. For the first time since joining Gendo Ikari, Fuyutsuki felt utterly in the dark.

**- x -**

Shinji groaned as he climbed out of the entry plug. His body ached with each movement, but he needed to get out of the plug and get some fresh air.

Being in the plug so long always bothered Shinji, and being in normal clothes instead of a plug suit only made it worse. He felt absolutely disgusting in the soaked clothing. On top of all that, he could see the injuries his arms had sustained from such a high sync rate during the battle. There were some gruesome looking bruises where the muscles under his skin had torn, and cuts were bleeding along his biceps. The blood had run down to his hands, but Shinji didn't mind. He was just glad it was over.

He groaned as he finally got out completely and leaned against Unit-01's shoulder.

"Ugh, I hope Misato's sending a team to recover us," he said to himself.

Shinji felt himself drifting off into sleep when a loud voice suddenly called out to him.

"Shinji, you idiot!" Asuka yelled.

Shinji looked over to where Unit-02 was laying on top of his Eva and at a rather irate Asuka glaring him. Even from a good fifty feet away, he could sense the danger and cringed.

Without another word, Asuka hopped down the segments of armor of Unit-02 until she landed on 01's back. With inhuman speed and agility, the red head made her way up the spine and was upon Shinji in seconds. This feat was all the more impressive considering she had done it in an LCL soaked school uniform.

Asuka glared at Shinji, who was now quite awake and looking afraid for his life as he looked back at her.

"Hey... Asuka," he said with a weak smile. He really didn't know why she could possibly be angry at him at a time like this.

Asuka glared into Shinji's eyes; into the deep blue that looked back into hers. Her mind was a whirlwind of different thoughts and emotions at the moment, causing her natural annoyance to win out by reflex. Seeing the sparkle in Shinji's eyes brought everything bubbling to the surface, however, and Asuka just couldn't stand it anymore.

Asuka suddenly dropped down to her knees and lifted Shinji by the collar of his shirt. She brought him within inches of her face and started to shake him violently.

"You jerk!" she cried. "What the hell were you doing, making me worry like that!"

Shinji yelped as he was shaken and tried to answer as best he could.

"I didn't mean to, Asuka," he said between shakes.

"Oh, you didn't mean to, huh?" Asuka asked mockingly. She continued to shake him as she spoke. "You didn't mean to make me sit helplessly while you put your life in danger? You didn't mean to take longer than you've ever taken before to defeat an Angel? You didn't _mean_ to scare me half to death? Ich kann nicht glauben, dass Sie das tun, um mich, du dummer, unempfindlich ruck!" she shouted accusingly.

"What are you saying? I can't even understand you anymore," Shinji replied desperately. He'd never seen Asuka behave like this, and he was genuinely worried that she had lost it. The shaking was also causing pain to shoot through his exhausted body.

"Please stop," he begged. "You're hurting me."

Asuka didn't know why she was saying the things she said. She was running on raw emotion, and could feel the tears trying to come out, but kept them back by yelling and shaking the boy that had caused this stir in her. She was out of words, however, and stopped shaking Shinji as her body trembled from her erupting emotions.

Shinji didn't say anything for a moment after the shaking had stopped. He kept his gaze away from Asuka, afraid of provoking her further. When he felt her trembling, however, he turned to her slowly.

"Asuka?" he asked carefully.

Asuka had to bite back her tears. She was so confused over what was happening to her, but one thing was for certain.

She looked up at Shinji and pulled him in so their noses were nearly touching. She looked into his eyes seriously.

"Don't you dare," she said sternly.

Shinji looked into Asuka's eyes and saw the shine from what had to have been tears. He didn't understand what she meant, and wondered what she was feeling just then.

"Don't what?" he asked seriously.

"Don't you ever do that to me, again," Asuka replied.

Shinji gulped the lump in his throat as those blue eyes looked into his. They had an appearance he couldn't identify, but it was one he didn't want to see again. He placed his hands on Asuka's shoulders and smiled.

"I won't" he said.

"Promise!" Asuka demanded sharply.

"I promise," Shinji replied without the slightest hesitation.

Asuka hiccupped and slowly calmed down. She kept her grip on Shinji's shirt, but was no longer conscious of it. His hands felt warm on her shoulders, and made her feel safe. She didn't even mind the blood they were covered in was now staining her soaked uniform. She smiled at him, and then tilted her head down, not wanting to get lost in the feelings those eyes brought again.

Shinji remained looking forward into Asuka's fiery red hair. He didn't quite understand what had just happened, but felt a certain happiness tingling within him.

From then on, nothing was said between the two teenagers. They remained kneeling on Unit-01's shoulder, Asuka grasping Shinji's shirt and Shinji holding Asuka's shoulders. They stayed like that, lost in the moment, until the NERV vehicles finally arrived to transport them back to headquarters.

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:** And thus ends this three part battle. This last part went through five different scenarios before I finally settled on one. I hope you all enjoyed it, because it was a doozey to work out. This may also end the relentless weekly pace of the updates, as I've run out of material for now, but keep your fingers crossed, because I do have some basic ideas for the next couple chapters.


	10. 1:10 Control

Asuka sat outside of a closed hospital room with her arms crossed and tapping her foot impatiently. She had lost track of time long ago, but could tell that hours had passed by the direction of the light coming through the windows across from her. At realizing this, she started to chew her lower lip in frustration.

It had been nearly sixteen hours since Shinji had passed out on the way to the Nerve infirmary after the last battle. Sixteen hours of wondering if he was just resting, as Ritsuko had so adamantly assured her, or if he had slipped into a coma from the stress of what had transpired. Sixteen hours of stewing in the thoughts that raced through her mind.

Yes, for nearly the entire sixteen hours, Asuka had been awake. Despite being extremely tired, she couldn't sleep. Closing her eyes only brought back the nightmares she had experienced inside of the entry plug. Even though she knew they were fake, and had overcome them, that was when she was conscious. When she was asleep, she was helpless against their icy grip.

That was also the very reason Asuka feared the worst for one Shinji Ikari. She had overheard Ritsuko talking about the similar readings the pilots had shown during the "intrusion" as they called it. If Shinji's had been as bad as hers, sleep wouldn't come so easily, let alone sixteen hours worth. The idea of him being in a coma was becoming more real every passing moment.

Asuka huffed at the thought of Shinji being in a coma. She thought he was weak, but not that weak. Still, she couldn't help but worry for some nagging reason she couldn't admit to herself.

That nagging fostered in Asuka as anger as she thought about the past day's events. It only took Shinji thirty minutes to break his promise, as far as Asuka was concerned.

"Idiot," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:10**

**- Control -**

**By: OmegaGear**

* * *

Tabris smiled calmly as he and his brothers arrived at Nerv's third branch in Germany. He had spent the long flight home picturing the faces of the old men with laughter, although he knew he'd never get to see them.

As the five Evas landed on the giant base by the pyramid, large gates opened in the ground. Elevators raised from the gates for the Evas to use to lower into the main hanger. One-by-one, the five Evas retracted their wings and entered the elevators silently.

One might describe the sight of the massive Evas entering the elevators as something out of a monster movie. The giant Evas growled as they stepped onto the elevators and turned to fall into the lacking arms. They stood up straight as the arm locks clicked into place, and appeared to struggle slightly before resigning themselves t the restraints. They were stiff as statues as they were lowered underground.

Unit-05 was the last to enter the elevators as Tabris watched his brothers go first. They were mindless dolls, following the instructions of the old men, despite their souls crying out. He did not like seeing them restrained, but would free them when the time was right.

"Have patience, my brothers," he said.

Finally, Tabris placed Unit-05 into the last elevator and allowed its arms to be locked before descending underground. The trip to the hanger was short, since Nerv-03 didn't have a Geo-Front, and less armor plating to travel through.

On the surface, Nerv-03 was another branch of the organization that fought the Angels on behalf of the UN. Within its walls, however, was the secret organization behind it all. Underneath twenty layers of armor plating, Nerv-03 was in fact where Seele orchestrated events from the shadows. While the members of the organization were all in different locations, it was in Germany where they based everything.

Once Unit-05 had arrived to its cage, Tabris ejected the entry plug and exited the cockpit. He was not surprised to see no one there to greet him. It was always like this for him. His existence, and the nature of Unit-05 were largely kept a secret from the rest of the Nerv-03 branch.

Tabris chuckled to himself at thinking about that subject. He wondered how Keel and Seele planned to handle the people that made up Nerv-03 now that they had come out of the shadows.

That was of no consequence to him, however. Tabris wasn't concerned with the irrelevant goings on of the Lilin. He knew what was coming, and it was nearly time for him to deliver his message.

Without another thought, Tabris removed himself from Unit-05 and walked across the catwalk towards the chamber where he knew Seele was waiting. With a smug grin, he entered the dark chamber and waited patiently for their arrival.

As the door shut behind Tabris, twelve giant monoliths appeared in the darkness. The twelve members of Seele towered over the young boy, and their red names glowed brightly.

"Kaworu Nagisa, what is the meaning of this!" Seele-01 demanded. His tone was sharp and agitated.

Tabris did not answer, but smiled at the imposing figure of Seele-01. The one he knew as Keel Lorenz, his "father". He didn't even care that he used that silly Lilin name he had given him.

"Explain this catastrophe!" Seele-02 demanded. "What devil have you unleashed?"

At this, Tabris laughed and turned to look at Seele-02.

"Do you really think that it was me that called the beast from the sky?" he asked.

"Your actions betray your motives," Seele-02 said. "You never had any intention of claiming Unit-01!"

"Had I done as you had asked, the world would be turned to ash by now," Tabris noted.

"So then you did know that it was coming," Seele-04 accused the boy.

Tabris stood with his hands on his hips, as if they were resting in invisible pockets. He had expected such foolishness from these old men that were too blind with their own madness.

"Indeed," he admitted. "But you should have known as well."

"And how could we have known?" Seele-03 asked. "The Dead Sea Scrolls..."

"The Dead Sea Scrolls are an ancient script written by a long dead race," Tabris interrupted. "It is an old message."

"It is the only message," Seele-05 said. "It is the word of our creators. It is what ensures our survival."

"Words carved in stone," Tabris scoffed. "Stone that's older than this world you call home."

There was a long silence as the twelve monoliths thought over what Tabris had said. Tabris stood patiently for them to consider his words.

"You are suggesting that there is another message?" Seele-01 asked.

Tabris smiled in admiration. He didn't think they'd catch on so quickly.

"Well, so the old men aren't hopeless fools after all," Tabris said.

"Explain," Seele-02 demanded.

"It is none of your concern," Tabris answered. "The decision has been made, and there's nothing you can do about it. You should have known better than to meddle with things you cannot control."

"No, it is _you_ that should have known better, Kaworu!" Seele-01 yelled.

Tabris suddenly felt an intense burning around his throat as Seele-01 spoke. He clawed at the neck of his plug suit, trying to wrest it from his throat and struggled for breath.

"It is _you_ that cannot control what is happening," Seele-01 explained, sending another surge of fire around Tabris' throat. "Your soul was lost when Unit-01 crushed your original body. What we have given you in its place is our insurance that you will obey!"

The burning in Tabris' throat intensified, and he dropped to his knees as he continued to claw at his plug suit. He was now rasping as he took in struggled breaths. His eyes felt like they were burning as his vision began to blur.

"Without a true soul," Seele-01 explained, "you cannot exist outside of the LCL for more than a day. You cannot project your AT-Field without the aid of Unit-05. You are an incomplete being. And thus, you are incapable of controlling your fate as you see fit."

Tabris coughed as the burning finally subsided. He looked up to glare at Seele-01, but made no sudden moves.

"Do you understand?" Seele-01 asked threateningly.

Tabris clenched his teeth and answered, "I understand."

"Very good," Seele-01 said. "Now, explain."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji awoke to the familiar white ceiling of the Nerv hospital. He was used to waking up to this sight, although it didn't make him feel any easier. He hated the sterile appearance of the hospital. He hated how hollow and lonely it felt. He hated the bad memories it brought back to him.

Shinji sat up slowly and groaned at the aches in his body. He was still really sore from the battle, although it wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be. He wondered just how long he'd been out.

The door to Shinji's room suddenly opened and Shinji turned towards the noise. Ritsuko walked in quietly and closed the door behind her, obviously trying not to wake him. She was in her usual lab coat, although her right arm was in a sling.

"Ritsuko?" Shinji asked when he saw her. He wondered what had happened to her to cause her to wear the sling.

Ritsuko stiffened slightly at the sound of his voice. She turned, however, and flashed him a pleasant smile. "Ah, you're awake," she said cheerfully.

The doctor walked over to Shinji's bed and took a look at his charts on the clipboard attached to it. She flipped through a couple of the pages and made a few marks before returning her attention to her patient.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Feel?" Shinji asked.

"Yes," Ritsuko replied. "You went through a lot during the battle."

"Oh," Shinji said in thought. He took a moment to think about how he really did feel. His body was easy enough to figure out. It was sore, but he'd live. His mind was no more or less confused than it usually was whenever he woke up in the hospital.

"I feel fine," he finally answered.

Ritsuko glanced at Shinji and put down the clipboard. She had expected as much from him. He was never particularly responsive when it came to answering questions about his well being, especially in the hospital.

"Well, that's good," she said.

Shinji laid there in thought for a moment while Ritsuko scribbled some notes on the clipboard she was holding. He was used to this kind of thing, since he wound up in the infirmary quite a bit, but something about it was unsettling for him today. He decided he would ask and get it off his chest.

"Hey, Ritsuko?" Shinji said to the woman.

"Yes?" she inquired.

"How long was I out?" he asked curiously. He was hoping it hadn't been too long.

Ritsuko had also been expecting this. That was one question he always asked whenever he wound up here.

"Nearly a day," she said. "But there's nothing to worry about. You were asleep."

"Asleep?" Shinji wondered.

"Yes," Ritsuko said. "I guess the simplest way of putting it is your body was too tired and you've been asleep to recover. There's no serious medical problems with you. In fact, you came out a lot better than I feared you would."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, the bleeding along your hands and arms made me think there was serious muscle tissue damage," Ritsuko explained. She then pointed at the bruises with her pen and continued, "but they ended up being superficial. There's no tissue damage. Save for the bruising, you're in fine shape. You should have no problems returning to normal activity."

"Oh," Shinji said. He didn't feel like he was in fine shape, that was for sure. At least he didn't have any serious injuries though, since he didn't like staying in the hospital. There was another lingering problem in his mind, however.

"What about Asuka?" he asked.

"Asuka is doing fine as well," Ritsuko said. "You were both examined for mental contamination, but everything checked out."

"That's good," Shinji said.

Ritsuko finished whatever it was she was writing and let the clipboard hang freely by the bed. She smiled at Shinji and told him, "Misato will be by to take the both of you home after she's finished the recovery and clean up."

"Okay," Shinji said. He couldn't help but notice that Ritsuko was strangely upbeat. She was usually less expressive, almost like his father at times. Now, however, she was smiling genuinely, and almost glowed.

Ritsuko saw Shinji's bewildered face and chuckled slightly. She knew he must be wondering why she wasn't her usual all business self. Honestly, she didn't quite know why she was so happy, but she didn't question it either. Yesterday, a lot of skeletons had been let out of her closet, and a great weight was lifted from her shoulders. Having a sense of freedom was a wonderful thing.

There was a sudden violent rapping on the door. Ritsuko walked to the door and opened to reveal Asuka on the other side.

"I heard you talking," she said.

Shinji leaned over to take a look at the girl beyond Ritsuko. Her bangs had fallen over her face, covering her eyes. Her lips looked like they were being forced into a calm line, and her body looked rather stiff. To Shinji, she did not look pleased.

Ritsuko, however, seemed to be oblivious to this and spoke in her unusually cheerful tone.

"Ah, Asuka," she said. "Yes, he's just woken up."

Asuka did not move or speak at Ritsuko's words. She remained perfectly still, as if she was suppressing something deep within her.

"Well, I think you've waited long enough," Ritsuko said before turning back to Shinji. "Call if you need anything."

Shinji watched Ritsuko leave and then as Asuka stepped into the room. He tensed as the girl closed the door behind her and kept her expressionless face downturned in his direction.

Without a word, Asuka walked towards Shinji's bed. She thought vigorously about what she was going to do when she got there.

_I should show my relief that he's alright,_ she thought. After sixteen hours, she was glad he had woken up. The rest of her mind, however, was still really angry with him for unknown reasons that nagged at the back of her mind.

_Screw that! _Her inner voice shouted. _After making you wait this long, I should teach him a lesson! Yeah, make him pay! That's what I'll do! I'll drown him in guilt! Lay it on so thick he'll cook German dishes for a month. He'll cower before me! He'll apologize more than ever. Hahahaha! Wait, I hate it when he apologizes repeatedly. Argh! Stupid Shinji!_

Asuka felt her shoulders tense involuntarily as she started to lose control of her thoughts. She was only a couple steps away, and still had not settled on a plan of attack.

_He's going to apologize no matter what! May as well enjoy it. _She mused. _Alright, that's it then. I'll have my fun! Yeah, fun!_

Asuka took the final step to Shinji's bedside and brushed the hair from her face. She glared at him through bloodshot eyes that had seen far too many waking hours without any reprieve.

Shinji looked into those eyes. He felt a deep guilt at the exhaustion in them, and a tingle of fear at everything else he saw. What he saw was a mixture of her usual anger, and frustration, along with some other emotions he couldn't quite peg. The existence of other emotions was a moot point, however, as the anger was clearly winning.

Asuka lost her train of thought as she looked into those deep blue eyes that peered nervously at her. Gone was her resolve to torture this poor soul and extract her guilt heavy revenge. Now she was more confused than ever, and auto-pilot clicked on.

Slowly, Asuka raised her right hand and swung it across Shinji's face with a resounding slap.

"You idiot!" she hissed.

Shinji gave Asuka a bewildered stare and rubbed his left cheek. He was completely clueless.

Asuka could see the confusion in his eyes, and it did nothing but spur her reflexes on. She slapped his other cheek and shouted "Jerk!"

Again. Shinji looked at her, confused. Asuka simply crossed her arms, raised her nose at him, and gave a "humph". She then spun on her heels and left the room, but not before muttering "Dummkopf."

Shinji watched Asuka leave his hospital room before rubbing his other cheek. The slaps had been less harsh than usual, but still stung. He hadn't fully recovered from the battle either, which only made them sting more. Sighing, he clicked the "call nurse" button by his bed. He was going to need some ice.

On the other side of the door, Asuka was trembling from what she had done. She had allowed herself to once again fall back on her instincts against her better judgment. She had wanted to let him know exactly how she felt about what had happened. Even if she was going to do in her own twisted way to exact some guilt from the boy, she had meant to be honest. Instead, however, she went blank at the sight of his eyes and flew off the handle like she always did.

"Asuka, you coward," she whispered under her breath.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato stood and watched as several large cranes lifted one of the giant double edged swords from the ground together. They were currently recovering the three remaining swords that had been discarded by Seele's Evas.

"They're enormous," Misato noted out loud.

The giant swords were in fact longer from tip to tip than an Eva was tall, even with shoulder pylons included. Misato couldn't recall ever hearing about any melee weapons of this side even being considered for combat, which disturbed her. They had known all along about the mass production Evas being made at secret sites. These swords, however, had appeared out of nowhere, and their ability to change shape was a complete mystery.

"And that's about all we can say right now," a young woman, Maya, said.

Maya was also watching the recovery operation, taking Ritsuko's usual place to guide the team while the doctor remained at Nerv with the pilots. She was coming off a little hard on everyone when she spoke, obviously nervous about performing up to her idol's standards, much to Misato's disdain. She was getting a headache.

"Care to speculate?" Misato asked the young tech.

"I wish I could," Maya said seriously, "but these things are completely beyond me. They creep me out."

"Yeah," the older woman agreed. She did feel uneasy whenever she remembered how they twisted and contorted to form a replica of the lance of Longinus.

Hyuga came running up to the two woman and saluted before handing Misato a clipboard with some files attached to it.

"We've finished retrofitting the first catapult to transport the cargo," he said.

"Good," Misato said as she leafed through the files he had handed her. They detailed the means they had developed to transport and store the weapons until they could properly examine them.

"Everything looks good to me," she said before handing the clip board back to Hyuga. "Does Ritsuko have a time table set up for the tests?"

"Not yet," Maya said. "She's not commented on it since being informed of the recovery. She's still checking over the pilots."

Misato smiled at hearing that Ritsuko was taking such care in making sure Shinji and Asuka were alright. The past few months seemed to have really taken a toll on the doctor, and for a while, her care for the pilots had been rather lax. It was nice to see flashes of the old Ritsuko returning.

"Well, let's get on it soon," Misato said. "I don't want to sit on a potential weapon if something happens."

"I'll let her know, ma'am," Maya replied.

Misato nodded at the younger woman and then looked back over to Hyuga.

"Any update on the thing that attacked yesterday?" she asked.

"Not an update you'll like," Hyuga said sadly. "The UN reported losing all traces of the entity roughly six hours ago. They said it descended to depths lower than they can track."

"I see," Misato sighed. That meant they would most likely have no prior warning when it came back.

"The UN is currently coordinating a giant detection net," Hyuga added. "I'll update you on their progress when I can."

"Thanks, that'd be great," Misato said. "That leaves one more thing... about Unit-02..."

Misato was talking about the appearance of Unit-02's core. She was familiar with the design of the Evas, or at least she thought she was. She was under the belief that the Evas did not have organic cores, yet Unit-01, and now Unit-02 had both revealed to have dormant organic cores, lacking only the S2 organ to complete it. She needed to find out what was going on.

Maya was about to speak when Misato's cell phone rang. The major pulled it out of her pocket and flipped it open.

"Major Katsuragi," she said in greeting.

"It's Fuyutsuki," came the familiar voice of the sub-commander.

"Sir," Misato said in acknowledgement.

"How's the recovery?" he asked.

"Very good sir," Misato answered while the last of the three swords was lowered onto a giant transport they usually used to move an unpowered Eva. "All three cargos are ready for transport now."

"Good," Fuyutsuki said. "Make sure they are properly contained and that they are not touched under any circumstances."

"Even if that... thing comes back?" Misato asked. The swords had been invaluable against the beast. She had no room for negotiation, however, as the commander replied sternly.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"That's right, major" Fuyutsuki said into the phone. "I want them contained and examined by Ritsuko and her team before we consider using them. We need to know exactly what the hell they are."

The man was silent for a moment as he stood by the commander's desk in the large, empty office while Misato acknowledged what he was talking about. When she was finished, he said, "I'll leave the rest to you then, major," and hung up the phone.

Gendo had been silent the entire time Fuyutsuki was on the phone with the major. He had been silent ever since leaving Terminal Dogma, even when getting his shoulder treated and being asked questions directly.

Fuyutsuki noticed Gendo's behavior, and could even tell there was a slight change in his expression. The cold and calculated Gendo Ikari was now appearing more withdrawn and apathetic. This did not sit well in his stomach.

Clearing his throat, Fuyutsuki placed a folder on the desk for the commander to see and began to go over the events of the previous day.

Gendo Ikari sat at his desk in his usual position as his protégé, Sub-commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, went over the details of the attack from yesterday. He hadn't spoken to anyone about the attack or the events in Terminal Dogma, and did not seem at all interested in talking now, as Fuyutsuki rambled on about all Hell breaking loose.

"The committee is going to chew our heads off," Fuyutsuki finished.

Gendo did not say anything. He remained looking forward with his hands tented precariously. He had had his shoulder tended to, and seemed even more stiff than usual with the sling on.

Fuyutsuki observed his commander's behavior for a moment. He wanted to know what Gendo was thinking. He wanted to know what the plan was for the inevitable meeting with Seele and the committee. The whole scenario had gone straight to Hell, and heads were sure to roll.

"Commander," he said sternly, "we need to figure this out."

Still, Gendo did not speak. His expression was unreadable as he stared intently forward. He appeared to be in deep thought, but about what was anyone's guess. At that moment in time, Fuyutsuki didn't want him thinking about anything except how to save their hides when they spoke with Seele.

Fuyutsuki grimaced as he thought about the clandestine organization that had stepped out of the shadows to assault them to claim Unit-01. With that mission a failure, and the appearance of whatever it was that had attacked them, there was no telling how this meeting was going to go. Needless to say, to expect them to be on civil terms was foolish, but the situation warranted cooperation to a point. Fuyutsuki, however, did not fancy himself a politician, and largely depended on his superior to weather the storms of Seele and the committee.

"Ikari," he said with a hint of desperation. He was now leaning on Gendo's desk, looking at the man seated. He needed at least some kind of response.

"Professor Fuyutsuki," he answered. His voice was low and steady.

At this, Fuyutsuki gulped down his fears. Gendo Ikari was a very calculated man. Every mannerism, every word, had a specific purpose, and hint to his intent. Fuyutsuki had noted long ago that the use of his former title usually meant that Gendo was troubled by something, and wanted him to take over the formalities of Nerv for the time being.

"No, Ikari," Fuyutsuki said adamantly. He wasn't going to be Gendo's mule this time. "You can't ignore this."

Gendo Ikari was silent for a moment after that comment. Indeed, he knew that his absence when Seele came knocking would be very bad. While he hadn't absorbed the finer details that the older man had gone over, he had heard enough to know that the situation was far worse than he had imagined.

After his dreams had been wrested away from him at the final step, Gendo had resigned himself and humanity to their fate as planned by Seele. He was preparing to watch helplessly as Unit-01 was used as the medium to initiate third impact, and lose Yui forever. Now, however, he had a completely different kind of nightmare to deal with it seemed. He wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse, as if he was meant to suffer his failure and loss for a prolonged period. He wondered what all of his efforts were for, now that they had been in vain.

"What was it all for?" he asked, no hint of emotion in his voice.

Fuyutsuki stood up straight, surprised by the question. He was wondering if that was a rhetorical question, or if the commander was serious.

"What was what all for?" he asked. He needed clarification.

"Our efforts," Gendo explained. "Our plans. My dream. Everything. What was it all for?"

Fuyutsuki tensed at the words Gendo used. They were rushed, panicked even. The man that had been as solid as rock for fifteen years was now crumbling.

"They were for the future," he said firmly. It was an ambiguous answer, but it was the truth. "A future that is still out there, because we are alive."

Gendo did not look at Fuyutsuki, or show any sign of the answer affecting him.

"What future is left for a man like me?" he asked.

"A man like you?" Fuyutsuki asked more himself than Gendo. He was perplexed by this question. They didn't have time for soul searching though, and Fuyutsuki was determined to get the business side of Gendo ready for the most difficult meeting of their lives.

"You can contemplate that after you meet with Seele," he said. "Who knows, maybe they'll have information that will ease your mind."

Gendo didn't believe Fuyutsuki. He knew that Seele was as in the dark as they were, and any information they had wouldn't matter to him. None of this business mattered to him anymore. He had lost his goal, and saw no reason to continue on.

Fuyutsuki gazed at the expressionless face of Gendo Ikari. While he could be described as cold and even emotionless, those still carried with them an expression. This face he was looking at now was completely blank. Now getting angry, Fuyutsuki grabbed Gendo's collar and shook him before bringing him up to look into his eyes.

"Pull yourself together!" he said firmly.

Gendo kept his face turned away from the older man. He remained expressionless as he stared off in what may have been deep thought, much to Fuyutsuki's dismay. It had been nearly twelve years since he had seen the commander like this. Not since Yui's death had the commander showed such a lack of will or desire.

Fuyutsuki wanted to punch Gendo. It was probably immoral to hit a man when he's down like this, but it'd certainly make him feel better. Fuyutsuki wouldn't allow himself to lose control, however. Instead, he dropped the younger man back into his seat and suppressed a growl of frustration while he straightened his coat.

"Alright," he said. "I can see that this is pointless. I'll leave you be until Seele calls."

Fuyutsuki watched Gendo for a moment longer before turning away from the desk and walking towards the door. As he walked, there was nothing but the echo of his footsteps as the two men remained completely silent. When he opened the door, he was expecting the commander to get in a last word like he always did, but was met with uncomfortable silence. Without another thought, he exited Gendo's office and closed the door behind him.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ritsuko watched with concern as the graphs fed the data they recorded. She had been watching Toji in the simulation body for nearly six hours now, and was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to stop. The only break he had agreed to take was when she needed to leave to check on Shinji's status. Upon her return, Toji seemed to soften slightly at hearing his friend had woken up, but still was relentless while in the simulation.

Toji clenched his teeth tightly as he fired the simulation rifle at the targets that appeared on the entry plug's view screen. He didn't know how long he had been at it, but fatigue was starting to finally settle in.

He didn't like being unable to help. He didn't like knowing Shinji and the others were struggling to survive while he sat helplessly on the sidelines. When he saw the state that Shinji was in after the last battle, he became determined to be combat ready when Unit-03 was complete.

And so he continued to fire the rifle in the simulation body, despite his fatigue. He had been ramping up the difficulty as time progressed, and using a rotation of weapons to get accustomed to using them all.

Targets appeared all over the place as he had reached the maximum programmed difficulty. He had to nurse the trigger as he fired the rifle in a wide sweep. When it was empty, he quickly discarded it with one hand while raising a rocket launcher with the other. He quickly aimed the launcher with the one hand and fired it at the advancing targets.

The targets exploded as his shots hit their mark, but there were too many, and his tired mind was taking too long to focus the aiming reticule. By the time the rocket launcher had depleted its ammo, the targets were upon him, and he couldn't reach for another weapon.

Toji cursed and released the progressive knife from his shoulder. He quickly pulled it out and stabbed the red core of the first target, causing it to fall backwards dramatically and explode. Toji moved swiftly as the targets swamped him, stabbing and cutting the cores as soon as he saw them.

Ritsuko noted that Toji's reaction times were starting to get worse. After six hours, it didn't surprise her to see that he was getting tired. Needless to say, his aim had started to get off as well, and she decided that enough was enough.

"I think that's enough, Toji," she said over the com.

"I'm not finished," he said back.

Ritsuko sighed as the simulation body continued to fire at invisible targets around the testing chamber. He was determined, she'd give him that much. She, however, was getting tired, and had important work to do.

"We're finished here, Toji," she said. She then turned to the technicians in the room and told them to start the shutdown sequence.

"Damn it," came Toji's frustrated complaint through the com.

"You can continue tomorrow," Ritsuko said into the com. "Go get cleaned up. It's pretty late, so I'll see if Major Katsuragi can take you home when she picks up Shinji and Asuka."

"Alright," Toji said back through the com. He didn't sound very enthusiastic, which was surprising given that he'd be close to Misato. It was no well kept secret that he had a fantasy crush on the woman.

Ritsuko ignored the boy's tone and turned off the com. She took one last look at the data before telling the tech to have it sent to her office. At a glance, it all looked good to her. Toji showed promise in close range combat, although his performance with firearms was well behind Asuka's or Shinji's.

Ritsuko groaned as she stretched her good arm and let a rare yawn escape her lips. She was tired after such a long day, and wasn't yet finished. She excused herself and left the control room to tend to her last duty of the day. Silently, she walked from the Pribnow box, and towards the main hanger where the mysterious swords were being contained.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:10**

**- What is it All For? -**

* * *

Misato looked over to the young man seated in the passenger seat as she drove through Tokyo-3. Toji had been silent ever since they got into the car, and now looked pre-occupied as he gazed out of the window.

Ritsuko had told her, over the phone, about Toji's behavior after the last battle. She was surprised to learn that he had insisted on training in the simulation body, and exhausted himself over six hours before the doctor forced him to stop. What was more surprising, though, was how he was behaving now.

Given his energy and drive earlier, Misato had expected him to be talkative like he usually was when in a mood. Instead, though, he was behaving more like Shinji did when troubled by something. He just sat quietly and watched the world pass by.

Shinji, of course, was doing the same thing in the back seat. He was not sitting as calmly as Toji, however, since he was making a conscious effort to keep as far away from the girl sitting next to him as possible.

Asuka looked to be in a mood as well as she sat with her arms crossed in the last seat of the car. Misato knew that look all too well. She was pouting over something Shinji had done, although she'd never admit it. Judging by the way Shinji was pressing himself against the side of the car, she had let him know in her own special way.

Misato wanted to sigh, but knew it would disturb everyone present and only make matters worse. As uncomfortable as the silence was, it was also the thin thread that held everyone's emotions in check.

Toji, on the other hand, didn't mind the silence at all. He wasn't surprised to see Shinji and Asuka having another of their silent fights when they met up at the hospital. It was so noticeable, that even his younger sister picked up on it.

Toji had been visiting his younger sister in the hospital when Misato finally finished her duties and came to pick everyone up. When she arrived with Shinji and Asuka, their rift was immediately obvious. Shinji was standing with his head tilted towards the ground and Asuka had her nose raised with her arms crossed. It was the classic image of Shinji and Asuka having a lover's quarrel, as Toji put it.

Toji smirked as he remembered what happened then. His sister had effectively ratted him out when she saw his two friends. Sucking on her thumb, she blinked and bluntly asked "Brother, are the two newlyweds fighting again?"

Thankfully, Asuka had chosen to simply give everyone a "humph" and waited outside while Toji explained to his sister that some things were better left unsaid.

Usually, Toji would have taken the chance to get in some good old fashioned teasing as well, but he wasn't feeling up to it tonight.

He was still preoccupied with the training in the testing body. Ritsuko had informed him that he and Rei would be undergoing sync tests with the harmonics test plug once the program core was delivered next week. He was determined to train as hard as he could until then. He had to be the one chosen to pilot.

Toji almost laughed at himself just then, realizing the irony of his situation. When he was selected as the fourth child, he had resented it, and was afraid of piloting. He had only done it after Nerv had agreed to move his sister to their top of the line facilities, to which he was grateful. Now, with no actual obligation, and a chance to secure a safe seat on the bench, he was driven by his own will to be chosen.

Toji tightened his right hand into a fist as the task before him became clearer. He wouldn't let down his friends this time. Next time, he'd be right next to them.

"We're here," Misato suddenly said.

Toji blinked at the interruption to the silence and looked over to Misato.

"Huh?"

"You're home," she said softly.

Toji looked back out his window and saw his apartment building. He hadn't realized so much time had passed while he was thinking. Shrugging it off, he got out of the car and turned to address everyone.

"Thanks for the ride," he said through the door he held open.

"No problem," Misato said sweetly.

"Hey, Shinji, you want to move up?" he asked the boy who had been seated behind him.

Before Shinji could give an answer, Asuka coldly cut in by saying "He's fine where he is."

There it was. Asuka had just admitted there was a problem between her and Shinji; a problem that existed because there was something between them to have problems with. Asuka wanted Shinji where he was; a safe distance away, but still within reach. Misato saw it. Toji saw it. Shinji did not see it.

Shinji only saw the threat in his mind. He could feel an icy chill emanating from Asuka, and gulped at the tone of her voice. He still couldn't understand why she was so angry with him. He only knew that saying sorry wouldn't help, so he kept his mouth shut.

Toji was so shocked at the magnitude of the situation between his two co-pilots, he didn't even know how to respond. You'd think she just caught him cheating on her or something. Toji pondered asking that in jest, but decided against it.

"Well, goodnight then," he said.

Toji closed the door as Misato replied her own goodnight wishes. He stood there for a moment to watch the car move away. Within that car was the great mystery of the universe, as far as Toji was concerned. He may not be the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to reading signals. His slowness with Hikari was proof of that. But even he could see the sparks between the two teenagers that were in that car. How they could remain in their awkward situation for so long was a true mystery.

"What is with those two?" he asked out loud.

Nothing but silence answered the boy. Indeed, the world could not answer that question.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ritsuko frowned as they entered the third hour of testing on the sword that was being held in the first cage. So far, nothing had yielded any results. There was no energy signature, no type of special alloy, or electronics. The swords, in fact, didn't seem to be made of any kind of metallic material at all, even though they had the weight and density of metal.

Ritsuko pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned before lighting a much needed cigarette.

"Why can't these things ever go quickly?" she asked herself.

"I don't know, ma'am," Maya said.

Ritsuko took a draw from her cigarette and blew it out before looking over to the young woman. They were the only two people in the makeshift lab room on one of the catwalks next to the first cage. Normally, smoking wasn't allowed in the cages for safety reasons, but Ritsuko was asserting her authority on the matter. She needed one after the way things had gone so far.

"Nothing," she said pessimistically. "Three hours, and we've got nothing. We can't seem to chip any of the material off. No amount of electricity or radiation seems to get it to change form as they did before."

Maya sighed. She was also getting tired and frustrated, but was doing her best not to let it show.

"And until we manage to get a sample of the material, we can't have the Magi look at it," the younger woman said.

"Nope," Ritsuko replied.

The doctor another puff from her cigarette and blew it out while looking over to the sword they were conducting tests on. It was standing there, held in place by locking arms and chains they had configured to contain it. Even though it appeared to be a simple massive piece of metal, Ritsuko felt like it was actually mocking her and Maya. She could swear it was giving off a presence of some kind, but shook it off as fatigue making her see things.

"I can't focus on this right now," she said finally.

"Want me to take over?" Maya asked.

"No," Ritsuko replied softly. "You've had as long a day as me. I think it's best we just take a fresh look at it in the morning."

"You're probably right," Maya agreed.

Ritsuko chuckled and then said "Plus, I doubt these cage operators are happy about being held here to help with the tests. They've never had to do anything like this before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Maya mused.

"I suppose so," Ritsuko said. She put out her cigarette and stood up. "Well, I think that's enough for today."

"Very well. Goodnight, ma'am," Maya said before saluting her boss, and idol.

"See you tomorrow," Ritsuko said sweetly. She watched Maya start to leave before pressing the button on the com and speaking into it. "That's all, for today. Everyone can go home now."

There was a collective cheer as the workers and operators around the cage celebrated their release. Ritsuko shook her head in amusement as the men and women all started to file out. She couldn't agree more. Freedom was indeed something to be happy about.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato yawned as she stepped into the apartment she shared with Shinji and Asuka. She hadn't slept since yesterday, meaning she was going on thirty-six hours at this point.

Asuka also hadn't slept since yesterday, although she did not yawn like the older woman.

Shinji, on the other hand, had gotten plenty of sleep in the hospital, and wasn't tired in the slightest. He was, however, quite hungry, so he walked past the two women and turned on the lights in the kitchen.

"I'm going to make something to eat," he said. "Are either of you hungry?"

Before either of the girls could answer, Pen-Pen's fridge flew open and the penguin leapt out. He waddled over to Shinji and waved his wings up and down while squawking.

"I'll get you too, Pen-Pen," Shinji said to the eager bird.

"That'd be great, Shinji," Misato said while she stretched. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable."

"Okay," Shinji replied. "Asuka, what about you?" he asked as calmly as he could. He was still very nervous about interacting with the red head.

Asuka said nothing as she stomped off to her room. She slid the door shut and fell onto her bed with a grunt of frustration.

Nothing made sense to her anymore. She felt that she had finally triumphed over her confusion over Shinji when she defeated the demon that had tried to possess her mind. After the illusion broke to reveal the real world, she felt like everything fell into place, but now the puzzle was back into pieces.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to slap Shinji. She wanted to unleash everything inside of her all at once at him. She wanted... just to be with him. Yes, she was willing to admit to herself now, that deep down, she wanted Shinji on some level, she just wasn't sure what, exactly.

The uncertainty of her own feelings is what frustrated her the most. They were so confusing, they caused her to lose control whenever she looked into his eyes. Every time she was sure she had things figured out, and a planned out move, those eyes made everything go blank. Those moments were only made worse by her natural tendency to slap Shinji whenever she had no other ideas on how to handle the situations she found them in.

It was that very chain of events that had lead Asuka to where she was now. She wanted to say sorry. She wanted to take it all back, but she couldn't. Her pride stood between her and that path. She wanted to so badly, and she knew it was the right choice, but her pride was literally a physical force when it came to choices like this.

Asuka cursed at herself for being like this. Then she cursed Shinji for being the way he was. If he would just be a man, like she wanted him to be, this would never have happened. If he'd just take the initiative, the confusion would be over.

"Argh!" Asuka growled into her pillow. She wanted to shake the hell out of Shinji for frustrating her to no end. He was so dense. Hadn't she laid down enough lines for him over the past year? She couldn't hold it anymore.

"Das dumme, inkompetente, unempfindlich Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" she shouted out in frustration.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji cringed as Asuka's German cursing could be heard through the walls of the apartment. He knew they were directed at him. They were always directed at him when they came in German.

He stirred the soup he had been making nervously now. There was no telling what his red haired roommate was going to do next. The sudden flash of his memory of the demon that had taken Asuka's form throwing the pot he was cooking in came to mind. He really hoped it didn't come to that.

Misato entered the dining area and sat down at the table. She had changed into her usual short shorts and t-shirt, and was now waiting for Shinji to finish cooking.

"How's it going, Shinji?" she asked.

"Erm, fine," Shinji answered nervously.

Misato contemplated Shinji's mannerism. She also had heard Asuka cursing in German, and like Shinji, she knew that was a special treatment saved just for Shinji. She wanted to know what had caused the two to form this great rift so suddenly. Just yesterday they looked like a scene out of a movie together.

Shinji finished the ramen and prepared three bowls. He took two of them and placed one in front of Misato and the other across from her where he usually sat.

"Thanks, Shinji," Misato said sweetly.

"No problem," Shinji replied.

While Misato thanked God for the meal, Shinji returned to the kitchen. He took the fish that had been grilling in the pan next to the pot and place them in a dish for Pen-Pen.

Pen-Pen was smacking his beak in anticipation of his meal. He was hopping in place as the dish was placed on the ground and he squawked in appreciation before starting to eat.

Shinji just smiled and lifted the last bowl of ramen. He got out a tray from the cupboard and placed the bowl on it along with a set of chopsticks. He carried the tray over to Asuka's door and knocked on it softly.

"Asuka," he called through the door, "I made something for you to eat."

Asuka did not answer from the other side of the door. This placed Shinji in a dangerous spot. He couldn't leave the tray by the door, because Asuka would most likely knock it over, which could lead to more than one mess to clean up. He also couldn't enter her room without her permission. That was one line he knew to never cross. It was so strongly drawn, he actually felt physically repelled by the doorway whenever he passed it.

In all honesty, Shinji should have taken the third option of taking the tray back to the table, but for some reason he didn't realize that was available. Instead, he made what could have been described as a lapse in judgment. He slid open Asuka's door and stepped in.

Shinji didn't realize what he was doing until the door was open and Asuka's piercing blue eyes locked on him. By then, it was too late. The deed had been done, and there was no turning back.

Shinji stood there frozen in fear. He couldn't believe he could have been so foolish as to actually enter Asuka's room without permission. How could his mind have blanked as such a dangerous decision was made by his body? He didn't know what to do, so he just stood there with the tray in his hand.

Asuka was on her stomach glaring at Shinji. Her eyes were squinting slightly, but it wasn't an angry look. They were waiting, no, daring him to make his move. She had her shoulders reared back with her arms bent, ready to jump to action should his move be wrong, or right.

Shinji could read Asuka's posture. He knew he was in for it if he didn't navigate this situation correctly. He decided that retreat was a lost cause. At that thought, some unused gears in the dark recesses of his mind started to turn. They pushed him forward, convincing him that as long as he was in it, he may as well just go for it. Deftly, Shinji found his fears silenced by an unknown force, and walked right up to where Asuka was lying on her bed.

Shinji's actions took Asuka completely by surprise. She had been expecting him to say sorry, in which case she was going to slap him. The other option was for him to place the food on her desk and retreat, in which case she would slap him later. In no scenario did her mind think Shinji would advance further into her room. Her brain short circuited from this, and now she had no response to give.

"Here," Shinji said.

"Hmm?" Asuka asked back. That was the best she could do.

"Your dinner," he said, placing the tray in front of her. "You must be hungry."

Asuka stared at the food. She had lost her glare and was now gazing curiously. She had no idea what the hell was going on.

Shinji saw the confused look in Asuka's eyes. He didn't really understand what was going on either. Even if this whole thing was being videotaped and they watched it later, he doubted it would make any sense. This moment in wonderland wasn't over yet, however. Again, the mysterious force pushed him to act against his nature.

"You don't have to say anything," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat, if you were hungry."

"Huh?" Asuka blurted out. She now had her head tilted as she continued to study the tray of food in front of her. Things made even less sense to her now than they did a second ago.

Shinji smiled at Asuka. He couldn't help, but find her behavior cute, although he knew saying so would unleash the fury within her.

Asuka saw Shinji smiling at her and felt her face get warm. The smile was unlike anything she had seen on his face before. It was warm, and genuine. There were no secrets masked by that smile, and it made her heart pound like a drum in her ears. She couldn't let this continue. She had to do something.

"Uh... thank you," she mumbled. She then felt her cheeks go even redder at realizing her pathetic attempt at taking control.

Shinji just continued to smile at her and said "You're welcome."

Asuka watched as Shinji left her room and slid her door shut softly. She then returned her gaze to the ramen he had placed in front of her. She examined it curiously, as if it contained the answers to what had just happened. She worked it through her mind, step-by-step.

_Shinji took initiative,_ she thought to herself. _He made the first move for once, and I couldn't do a thing. I was completely powerless._

Normally, Asuka would have gotten angry at being powerless, weak. This time, however, it made her feel differently. She wasn't sure what she felt exactly, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

Asuka could feel her frustration building over the confusion, but didn't want it to ruin how she felt. She decided to just forget about it for now and sat up in her bed before taking the tray in her lap. She quietly ate the ramen, feeling a sense of satisfaction with each bite.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji sighed with relief as he closed Asuka's door. He didn't know how he had done it, but now that the moment had passed, his legs were turning to jello. He could barely keep straight as he made his way back to the dining room and took his seat at the table.

Misato followed Shinji with her eyes as the boy stumbled to the table. She wondered what had happened, but figured it couldn't have been anything bad, since Asuka hadn't screamed or thrown anything. She did, however, notice that Shinji had entered her room, which really threw her for a loop.

_And yet, he lives,_ she mused in her mind.

Shinji could feel Misato's gaze on him. He knew she wanted to ask what had happened, but until she did, he'd just eat in silence.

Thankfully, Misato did not pry or tease Shinji. She decided that letting this day end without any trouble was more than she could ask for, and just let it be. She excused herself and put her plate away in the sink. After retrieving a beer from the fridge, she wished Shinji goodnight and went to her room.

Shinji acknowledged Misato's good wishes and finished his meal alone. Normally, being in the silence alone would have been unsettling, but Shinji found it strangely peaceful. He felt like things had gone right, for a change.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Gendo Ikari sat quietly at one end of a long table surrounded by a bright white light that illuminated a square around him. The five members of the Human Instrumentality Committee were also seated at the table, and as usual, were not pleased in the slightest. In a rare case of desperation, Fuyutsuki was allowed to sit in on the meeting, who was standing behind Gendo.

"Thank you for coming, Ikari," Keel said from his position at the other end of the table. His tone was calm and controlled, as usual.

Gendo never liked Keel. He was known by some as the wandering Jew. A well travelled man, he had been the one to form Seele in secret as well as the Human Instrumentality Committee following the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. A man too old to be alive by normal means, his location was unknown, although Gendo had his suspicions. Despite him representing Germany in the UN, Gendo suspected he did not reside there.

"Indeed. Given your actions, there was reason to wonder if you were going to show," another man said.

This man sat to Gendo's right, and was surrounded by a red square. The world knew him as Henry Oppenheimer, the chairman of DeBeers diamond company. A man of Jewish decent, he used his substantial fortune as well as the resources of DeBeers to fund Project-E. Since the loss of South Africa during second impact, Henry had moved the company to the United Kingdom, and was now their representative in the UN.

Gendo did not respond to the verbal jab, and remained in his usual position, although it was more forced than usual.

"Ever the calm, controlled man," a man to his left remarked.

This man was covered by a blue light, and was the one that was most critical of Ikari's performances in the past. One Sergei Putin, an oil tycoon that had swallowed most of the middle east after the fall of OPEC during the wars that followed second impact. His control of the oil industry has been another of Project-E's main sources of cash. It has also been a key impact on the committee's control over the UN, as it allowed them to control one of the world's key resources. He currently resided in Moscow, where he served as a representative to the UN.

"You never change, Ikari," Sergei said. "Even when you've failed so completely."

"The failure was not mine alone," Gendo said sternly.

"Perhaps," the man to Sergei's left said.

The man was surrounded in yellow light, and the calmest of the committee. His name was Claude Fitzroy. He was a Frenchman that resided in Geneva as chairman of CERN. It was his control over the massive science research facility and the best minds of the world that provided the mental labor for Project-E and other interests of Seele and Nerv. It was also the key to thinking up scientifically explainable cover-ups for second impact and other anomalies caused by the war with the Angels. Additionally, he represented France's interests in the UN.

"We make no claims of being free of this disaster," Claude explained, "but our failure, and yours, are not one in the same."

"We speak of course of your attempts at betrayal," Henry cut in before Gendo could speak.

"A gross misuse of our resources, Ikari," the last member of the committee said.

This man was covered by a green light. He was Charles Sulzberger, the chairman of the World Times, the international news corporation that was created when the New York Times acquired what was left of the world news networks at the end of the Impact Wars. It was his control over the news that allowed the committee and Seele to remain largely in the shadows, as well as anything else they wanted out of public knowledge. Like the others, he represented his country in the UN, allowing them a large measure of control of its forces.

"That is not the subject of this meeting," Keel cut in suddenly.

The members of the committee fell silent at the chairman's words, but continued to glare at Gendo. They were very displeased with the way things had played out in recent days.

"Ikari," Keel said, "we are willing to overlook this transgression, provided that you cooperate moving forward."

Gendo did not answer. He didn't care if they overlooked his betrayal or not. It didn't matter to him if they punished him. Any punishment they threw at him would pale in comparison to his current suffering.

"Cooperation will be necessary," Claude said. "Our scenario has been met with... difficulties."

"There is no need to sugar the truth," Fuyutsuki said.

"Humph, and so Ikari's loyal dog speaks," Sergei said, eliciting a scowl from the man in question. "Don't fancy yourself a voice just because we have allowed your presence here, today."

"But he speaks the truth," Charles admitted. "To be blunt, our scenario has been completely destroyed."

"But our efforts needn't be in vain," Henry said. "Project-E was developed to battle the Angels. It can also serve to defeat this new threat."

"We don't even know what this new threat is," Sergei said.

"No," Keel admitted, "but that will come with time. Ikari, you possess the samples and data necessary to identify this entity."

"Yes," Ikari said lifelessly.

"We expect the results as soon as they are available," Keel said.

"In the mean time, we have approved a new budget to facilitate the construction of Unit-04," Henry said.

"It's completion is being moved up a month, and Unit-03 is as good as done," Claude said.

"As per the previous agreement, Unit-03 will be delivered to Japan, and you are to supply its pilot," Charles said, "but Unit-04 will remain under the jurisdiction of the US, and Nerv-04."

Gendo wasn't surprised to hear this coming from Charles. He hated the idea of Japan having all of the Evas all along, but had no room to negotiate after Unit-04's accident destroyed the second branch in Nevada. He considered the transport of Unit-03 to Japan an embarrassment to himself, and not just his country.

"Very well," Gendo said.

"And what of the mass production series?" Fuyutsuki asked. "You used five of them from a single location. The Vatican treaty..."

"The Vatican Treaty is a piece of paper that _we_ wrote," Sergei cut in. "You don't need to pester us with its fine print."

"You needn't worry," Claude insisted. "Our Eva Series will not remain in Germany. They will return to their respective countries shortly."

"And you needn't worry of another attack," Henry said. "Cooperation will be exercised."

Fuyutsuki didn't believe them, but didn't say anything. He knew they'd stay in line for now. They would need to keep a closer eye on the other branches and Seele moving forward, however.

"And what about those weapons?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"You may keep the lances our Evas left behind," Henry said flatly.

"We weren't planning on returning them," Fuyutsuki replied sarcastically. "What exactly are they?"

"I'm sure your dear doctor can figure that out for you," Sergei said snidely.

"And the regeneration ability of your Eva Series?" Fuyutsuki asked. He was trying to get all the information he could.

"Don't concern yourself with that," Claude said. "Human pilots wouldn't be able to survive the strain."

_Human pilots... so what exactly are you using?_ Fuyutsuki wondered.

"Your presence is no longer needed, Mr. Fuyutsuki," Keel said. "We wish to speak with Ikari in private."

Fuyutsuki bowed and left the room. After the door slid shut and beeped with the lock, the committee all looked at Ikari.

Gendo could feel their eyes bearing down on him, but did not flinch. He had been expecting this since the committee called for the meeting.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Ikari," Sergei said grimly.

"We are willing to overlook your betrayal," Henry repeated Keel's past statement. "But we will not forget it."

"Just what were you thinking?" Charles inquired.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Gendo said matter of factly.

"Ha!" Sergei exclaimed. "You think you can just pretend it didn't happen now that it's over?"

"You intended to initiate your own third impact," Claude surmised. "Such an act would have undermined everything we've worked to achieve."

"And what have we achieved?" Gendo asked. He sounded very skeptical now.

The committee was silent as they looked at the man that had questioned them. Ikari had been their loyal comrade for nearly two decades, and yet here he was, questioning their motives and achievements.

"The Angels have been defeated," he declared, "And yet we are no closer to our fates than before. The world continues to suffer at its own barbarism. What's more, after sixty years of studying and planning, you mean to tell me you never had an inkling of a clue of the existence of this entity?"

For once, Gendo sounded as if he was losing control of his emotions. Keel wasn't amused with this at all.

"Mind your tongue," Keel warned. "Our translations of the Dead Sea Scrolls were complete to the last detail. They made no mention of this beast that fell from the sky."

"And yet it has an AT-Field and blood that's very similar to the Angels as well as ourselves," Gendo countered. "It is no coincidence."

"Perhaps," Keel said. His tone betrayed the fact that he was hiding something, but Gendo didn't care. He knew Keel was always hiding something from him.

"The matter of the nature of the beast is being looked into," Henry said. "We will worry about figuring how this affects our plans. Your job is to ensure the Evas are ready."

"The human instrumentality project is being put on hold, for now," Claude said.

"As long as there is a threat of a higher power, we cannot proceed," Keel explained.

"Why?" Gendo asked. He sounded frustrated.

"I beg your pardon?" Keel asked.

"Why? Why continue?" Gendo asked. "What's the point? What is it all for!"

"Calm yourself," Keel said, his tone threatening. "We will continue to secure our future."

"Your future," Gendo spat. "You still believe in the future the Dead Sea Scrolls promised, even after they've been so utterly proven wrong?"

"They have not been proven wrong," Keel insisted.

"The predictions in the Dead Sea Scrolls were carried out as planned," Henry stated.

"Despite your attempts at sabotage," Charles added.

"The existence of an outside force is unfortunate, but not something we can't deal with," Henry finished.

Gendo wanted to scream. He couldn't believe these people could be so stubborn.

"This meeting is finished," Keel declared. "Ikari! You are obviously troubled by the events taking place. Should you continue to show a lack of control, you will be replaced. Keep that in mind."

Gendo didn't say anything. He regained his composure as best he could, appearing how he usually did at the meetings.

The five members of the committee all vanished as their holographic projectors shut down, leaving Gendo alone in the darkness of the meeting room. He sat there in silence for a moment, letting his racing thoughts come to a boil. It had all fallen apart. His entire life's work was for nothing, and those fools wanted to continue like all was right with the world. Gendo Ikari didn't see a point. He didn't see the future anymore.

Letting his frustrations take control, Gendo gripped the lip of the meeting table and cried out as he flipped it over.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This story continues to get more favorites and alerts than reviews. Come on, people, let me know what you think. I appreciate feedback.

I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. I tried to fill in some laughs to make it more entertaining. It is time to finally have some of that romance my categorization promised. The next chapter is for all you saps out there that like a good anime style fluff.

Also, I finally made the switch to normal names instead of the all caps for SEELE and NERV. Its long been known that those spellings are coincidental in how the producers wrote the English for named things, including things like ADAM. Since Seele and Nerv aren't acronyms, there's really no reason for them to be in all caps.

I didn't look up the Human Instrumentality Committee information until after I had finished this chapter. I was attempting to make them believable in their ability to manipulate the UN, and ironically, I chose the right countries of representation based entirely on how the characters looked in the second episode of the anime.


	11. 1:11 The Case of Gendo Ikari

The room is dark, and completely silent, save for the clicking of a keyboard. Ritsuko was alone in her dim office, sitting at her desk with a mug of coffee. She sat quietly as she typed a report on her computer. It had been another long day for her at Nerv Headquarters. Long and exhausting.

The day's events started nothing like she had planned. In fact, this long day started the previous night, when a call prevented her from leaving after she halted the tests on the swords. The call had annoyed her, but it was classified a top level emergency in the infirmary.

What she saw when she got there completely baffled her. After two long hours, she was finally able to leave, but when she returned the next morning, things hadn't gotten any better. In fact, one might say things had gotten much worse.

Ritsuko sighed as she completed the basic info of the report. This was going to be hard to articulate.

"Sunday, May 14th, year 2017," she said out loud. Reading her reports out loud always seemed to help her write them when they particularly difficult. This report, would be the hardest one of them all.

"Subject, Male, age 50," she continued.

She paused for a moment before reading the next line, remembering the subject that was currently contained in a secure room in the infirmary.

"Name, Gendo Ikari."

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:11**

**- The Case of Gendo Ikari -**

**By: OmegaGear**

* * *

Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki looked over the papers Section 2 had delivered to him when he arrived at the crack of dawn. He had heard of the commander's break down when it happened last night, but didn't go into the details until now. What he read troubled him.

According to the report, the commander had been unresponsive to vocal communication, and was physically dangerous when the Section 2 agents arrived on the scene. It apparently took three of them to restrain him while Doctor Akagi sedated him.

Now, the commander was in the infirmary, awaiting examination by Akagi, leaving a broken puzzle for Fuyutsuki to put together.

"How many people know about this?" he asked.

"So far, only you, Doctor Akagi, the medical staff that came to retrieve him, and Major Katsuragi," the agent standing in front of Fuyutsuki's desk said.

"And you agents, of course," Fuyutsuki added.

"Of course, sir," the agent admitted. "But only the three that were present. I have the two that were with me watching the hospital now, and making sure the rest of them keep their distance."

"Good," Fuyutsuki said. He didn't need word getting out about the Commander before he could discuss it with Ritsuko and Katsuragi. The last thing they needed was another reason for morale to go down. There was also the matter of the commander's family. He wasn't sure how this would affect his son, even if the two were distant from each other.

"Alright, keep me posted," he said. "Make sure word of this doesn't get out. I don't even want rumors."

"Sir," the agent replied. He saluted and left Fuyutsuki's office.

Fuyutsuki waited until the door closed behind the agent before picking up the phone from his desk. He punched in a number and waited for the person to pick up.

"It's me," he said.

The person on the other end yawned before replying. Fuyutsuki felt a little guilty over calling so early, but this was urgent.

"What is it, sir?" Ritsuko asked.

"We need to talk about Shinji," he said.

"Shinji... Ikari?" Ritsuko asked, still sounding rather groggy.

"Yes."

"Why?" Ritsuko sounded confused.

"Because his father is sedated in the hospital after suffering a mental breakdown," he replied flatly.

"Mmm..." Ritsuko mumbled while the sounds of someone climbing out of bed could be heard through the phone. "You think it's best he doesn't know?"

"Yes, I do," Fuyutsuki said. "Shinji's always been unpredictable. We need to be careful with how he learns about this. I realize their relationship has been... adverse, but Gendo is still his father."

"Alright," Ritsuko agreed. "I'll let Misato know, but we won't be able to hide this for long. A couple days at best. Well... unless you disappear on a business trip. Then we can just say you're with him."

"Somehow, I don't think that's going to be possible," Fuyutsuki said sarcastically. "Seele probably already knows, and they're going to want to talk to me soon."

"Right..." Ritsuko replied. "Alright, I'll take care of it."

"Good, I'll speak to you when you get in."

Fuyutsuki hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. He stared blankly while thinking about what they were going to do. He wondered what Seele was going to do. It was never good when one of their members went bad in any way, and usually resulted in termination, in more ways than one. He knew all too well about the reality of the consequences. He had heard about it happening several times, even from one of the member's own daughter's.

Fuyutsuki forced the memory out of his mind and sighed. This wasn't good at all.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Rei looked at herself in the mirror as she let the water run down her body. She had just finished her shower and had a towel over her shoulders, but did not dry herself off. Instead, she leaned against the wall and gazed at herself in the reflection of the glass.

Ever since yesterday, she had felt so strange, out of place. Oddly, after she had rejected Gendo Ikari's plans and openly accepted Lilith's soul as her own, things became very strange for her.

The world seemed to be viewed from new eyes for the first time. She recognized everything, but there was a new awareness in her mind, as if she had been sleeping until now.

This did not help her with her continued confusion over her emotions and memories. More of them seemed to be revealed each passing day, and she was starting to wonder what was going to happen to her. She wondered if she would continue to develop on her own, as she desired, or if the memories would eventually shape her into her past self.

The thought of that outcome did not sit well with her. She felt anger at the idea of being shaped by someone else and glared at herself in the mirror. She'd change her face, if she could. She could not, however, but she could do other things to assert her individuality.

Rei turned from the mirror and started to dry herself off as she thought about what she was going to do. Looking over at her limited wardrobe, the first step came to mind immediately.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji hummed to himself as he prepared some eggs for breakfast. The day had started off a little strange for the young man. When he had started preparing breakfast, Asuka had appeared when she usually did in the morning, but wasn't her usual fiery self.

Asuka was acting distant, in a strange way. It wasn't the usual upset distant behavior she exhibited. Instead, it seemed like she was distracted by something. She had walked into the kitchen to observe him for a moment, and then walked to the bathroom without a word. That had to be the first day in their entire time living together that Asuka didn't voice some agitated complaint first thing in the morning. Shinji was wondering what was going on, but knew that prying would be a mistake.

The oddity of the morning continued when Misato appeared from her room fully dressed for work. Shinji had only seen her start the day like this once before, and that was when she had to leave early for the conference to demonstrate the Jet Alone Project.

"Good morning," Misato said, sounding rather serious.

"Good morning, Misato," Shinji replied. He was still staring at her in shock.

Misato saw Shinji's confused shock and suppressed a sigh as she sat down.

"I'll be going into work early today," she explained.

"Oh," Shinji said. "What for?"

"Something important came up," she said.

"Oh," Shinji said, as if the answer explained everything. He knew when it was better to leave Misato alone when it came to matters of Nerv.

"Additionally," Misato continued, "You've been given the day off from Nerv."

"Huh? Why?" Shinji asked. They were never given the day off on such short notice.

"We'll all be busy with testing on the weapons left by Seele's Eva Series," Misato lied. She couldn't tell him the real reason. She didn't like keeping secrets from Shinji. When Toji was chosen as the fourth child, keeping the secret from him had torn her apart. She felt immense guilt over the events that followed, and hoped that this wouldn't end up the same way. She couldn't tell him, however. Ritsuko's phone call that morning had made that very clear.

"I see," Shinji replied. He didn't believe that at all. They were always busy at Nerv. Testing on some weapon wouldn't be enough for them to cancel pilot duties. Again, however, Shinji knew not to pry.

Shinji opened the cupboard to get the bowls for the rice when something surprised him.

"That's odd," he said while taking out their usual bowls. "A bowl is missing."

"Well, just get one of the other bowls," Misato said, not really seeing the big deal.

"Right," Shinji replied. Of course he would, but that wasn't the point. This whole day was just off.

Shinji took another bowl from the stack they only used when guests were over. It was shaped a little differently, and decorated to appear fancy. Subconsciously, Shinji placed the bowl at Asuka's seat at the table, much to Misato's amusement.

Misato smiled from behind her can of coffee at Shinji's gesture. She was sure he didn't even realize what he had done.

Before Misato could say anything to tease the unsuspecting boy, Asuka entered the dining room. She sat at the table quietly and started to eat without saying anything.

Misato watched Asuka eat for a second. She thought the young girl was acting strange, but it was different from last night. Now, instead of stewing in anger over something, she looked like she was lost in thought. Misato didn't want to bug her, however, and started to eat as well after thanking God for the meal.

Shinji also thanked God for the meal. He wasn't religious, like his guardian, but did the ritual out of respect. He even did it when he wasn't with her, finding it natural now. As he ate, however, he began to feel uncomfortable.

To say the least, Shinji found the silence unsettling. They were all eating breakfast without any conversation, like there was a rift between them all. Shinji didn't like it when things were like this, but he always let it be. He didn't want to stir trouble. Today was different, however, as much like last night, something in the back of his mind caused him to act out of his usual line.

"Hey, Asuka," he said. He looked over to the girl next to him.

"Hmm?" Asuka replied while she took a bite of the eggs Shinji had prepared.

"Misato said we have the day off today," he said.

"Oh, really?" she asked, now looking interested.

"Yeah, something about everyone being busy," he explained.

Asuka didn't believe that was the real reason, but didn't care. Any day she didn't have to spend doing stupid tests at Nerv was a good day in her books.

"So..." Shinji gulped, "want to do something?"

"Huh?" was all Asuka could muster in response. The question had in fact shattered something inside of her mind. Her thin perception of reality was cracking.

"Well, we never did go clothes shopping," Shinji pointed out.

_Shinji suggesting clothes shopping with Asuka? Is he nuts? _Misato thought. She took pity on him now. He probably had no idea what clothes shopping with a girl was like.

_Clothes shopping? _Asuka thought. _With me? What?_

Asuka found that she couldn't think straight. Her body started to move, but not at her conscious will. It stood up, and she said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm going to go get ready!" she exclaimed quickly before taking off with inhuman speed.

Shinji and Misato watched as Asuka sprinted to her room and slid her door shut. Misato was chuckling to herself, knowing that Shinji was in for something he'd never forget.

Shinji suddenly awoke from his strange behavior at seeing Asuka run off to her room and blinked. He recalled what had just happened and wondered what had caused him to do that.

_Clothes shopping with Asuka? _He thought to himself in shock. _What the hell was I thinking!_

"What did I get myself into?" he asked, a little scared.

To give him some hint to his fate, the faint sounds of things being tossed about and a girl rifling through her clothes could be heard. It sounded like a war was going on in Asuka's room, and Shinji was going to be the eventual target of the weapons.

Misato smirked at hearing Asuka's activities in her room. She filed it for later use before returning her attention to the boy that was now staring at his ramen as if it were his last meal before execution.

"I'd tell you, but that would spoil the fun," Misato said as she stood up. "Well, I gotta head to work. Good luck, kiddo," she said while patting Shinji on the shoulder.

Shinji flinched as Misato's hand slapped his shoulder. Her words only made him feel worse about his predicament.

Misato honestly felt bad for Shinji. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into, but at the same time, she found it too amusing to not laugh. She left him sitting there and put on her shoes to leave for work. She took one last look at Shinji before saying goodbye and exited the apartment.

The day was calm as she left for work, but Misato was uneasy. She thought back to what Ritsuko had said over the phone before the crack of dawn. What she had described worried her.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

May 13th, 2017.

Ritsuko arrived to the conference room to see Gendo Ikari, the Commander, and head of Nerv throwing and kicking everything in sight. He was shouting and growling in anger and frustration.

Several Section 2 agents were in the room, attempting to get close to the commander, but were held back as he continued his destruction of the room where he had just met with the committee.

"What's going on here?" Ritsuko asked.

"We don't know," one of the agents said. "Sub-commander Fuyutsuki had us come here when the commander didn't respond to his calls. When we entered, it was like this."

Ritsuko looked around the room. The usually dark room was now lit, revealing the plain grey walls with no windows or decorations of any kind. Several chairs and pieces of electronic equipment were scattered against the walls, some broken, others bent or dented. The large table in the center of the room had been flipped and papers were scattered all over the floor around it.

"Has he responded to anything?" she asked. She couldn't believe the state of the room, but was starting to understand why the caller had told her to bring sedatives.

"No, ma'am," the agent replied. "He doesn't seem to realize there are others in the room."

Ritsuko looked at the man in question. Gendo Ikari was currently swinging a chair to knock over some of the light fixtures overhead. He grunted with each swing, and when one proved to be stubborn, he threw the chair up all together, and finally knocked it loose.

"What was it all for!" he shouted while kicking the light fixture on the ground.

"Commander?" Ritsuko asked.

Gendo did not respond to her call and kicked another of the fixtures before taking the chair in his hands again.

"The plans... the sacrifices!" he yelled while throwing the chair against the wall to join the others he had casted aside. "Nothing! All for nothing!"

"Commander!" Ritsuko yelled, trying to get a response.

The man made no sign that he had heard the woman. He grabbed one of the light fixtures and smashed it over the leg of the up-ended table while continuing to rant.

"Twenty years..." he growled. "For twenty years I sacrificed everything!"

Ritsuko was silent as Gendo smashed the light fixture in his hand on the tip of the table leg over and over. She had never seen the cool, collected man behave so emotionally.

"Everything!" Gendo shouted. "_Everything!_"

"Commander..." Ritsuko said sadly. She was starting to understand. As a doctor, she knew how to see the signs of a mental break. Gendo Ikari had finally cracked under the stress of everything.

"My life! My love!" Gendo shouted while throwing the now smashed light fixture against the wall. "My dreams!"

Ritsuko remained perfectly still as the man bent down and took the lip of the table in his hands. The Section 2 agents, on the other hand, took this opportunity to move in.

"Even my own son!" Gendo cried as he threw the table by flipping it as hard as he could.

That was enough for the agents to make their move. In the blink of an eye, two of them grabbed Gendo's arms as they were still raised from flipping the table. A third wrapped his arms around the commander's waist tightly and looked back at the doctor.

"Doctor Akagi!" the agent grunted. "Sedate him!"

Gendo struggled against the three men holding him. He wasn't finished. He hadn't done enough damage yet. He jerked and turned in their grip, attempting to elbow them while still ranting loudly.

"My own son!" he bellowed. "For nothing! _Nothing!"_

Ritsuko had arrived behind the man at this point. She had a needle in her left hand, and raised it cautiously.

Gendo did not notice the doctor behind him as he struggled to break free. He just kept repeating the same two phrases over and over with each twist of his shoulders to try to escape.

"My own son! For nothing!"

Ritsuko steeled herself and pierced the needle into Gendo's neck. She pressed down the end of the syringe, causing the clear liquid to flow into his blood stream. As the liquid did its work, Gendo began to slowly stop his struggling.

"My own... son..." he said softly as the sedative took hold. "For... nothing..."

At last, the sedative put Gendo Ikari down and the agents lowered him slowly. Ritsuko took out her cell phone and called the infirmary.

"I need a medical team in the main meeting room at once," she said.

Ritsuko looked down at Gendo sadly while she and the agents waited for the medical team to arrive with a stretcher. For quite some time, Ritsuko had wondered if Gendo had lost his humanity in the darkness of his plans. Now, there was no doubt, that underneath that cold mask was a human that still held things dear. It was tragic that it took so much for it to come out. Tragic that he had to break in order to express himself.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Present day.

Ritsuko sighed as she watched the security video one more time. Normally, Section 2 wouldn't allow the recordings from such a classified area to be watched, but given the nature of the patient, the doctor had managed to convince them to release it to her.

Watching the commander's break didn't get her any closer to answers, however, so she took the tape out and placed it in a drawer at her desk before locking it.

It had been nearly eight hours since the commander was sedated, so he'd be waking up soon. Ritsuko had determined that there was no physical damage besides his shoulder from earlier, and of course neglected the detail of his right hand.

Once Gendo Ikari woke up, the real challenge would begin. Since this situation demanded her full attention, Ritsuko had called in Misato to oversee the continued testing on the swords with Maya. After discussing it with Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, she agreed it was best that Shinji was given the day off from Nerv. Judging by the way Gendo had spoken of his son during his break, she didn't want Shinji getting close, or knowing about his father until she was sure it was safe. And since giving only Shinji the day off would be suspicious, she gave all the children the day off.

Ritsuko took a sip of her coffee and looked at the monitor that showed her Gendo Ikari's room. That was an image she thought she'd never see. Gendo Ikari laying in a hospital bed, seemingly in a coma.

She hoped it didn't come to that. As much as she had come to hate what the man had done, she couldn't bring herself to outright hate the man himself. His display of emotion proved he was still human underneath it all.

Ritsuko hoped that glimmer of humanity won the battle that was happening in his mind. She would do her best to help him along the way. To do that, however, she would need to learn who Gendo Ikari truly was. To even begin to try, she would need to journey into his private life.

The problem was that Gendo Ikari's private life was the biggest mystery of them all. Besides Ritsuko, the only person he was close with was Kozo Fuyutsuki, but even he would admit he knew very little about the private life of the man laying on the bed.

Getting any clues wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji was washing the dishes when Asuka came out of her room humming to herself. He turned to look over to his roommate, and choked on his own breath at what he saw.

Aside from her usual A-10 hair clips, Asuka was wearing a light blue sleeveless top that hugged her figure rather well. While nothing extraordinary, it was a color that Shinji rarely saw the girl wear, and he couldn't help but notice how it brought our her eyes.

Underneath the top, Asuka had a simple white skirt that went down past her knees. To finish it all off, she had on a pair of toeless flats. The outfit was very simple, but on Asuka, Shinji thought it was perfect.

Asuka smirked at seeing Shinji's dumbfounded look. She relished in the power she had over him at times like this. Seizing the opportunity, she walked up to a frozen Shinji and flicked his forehead.

"Are you finished?" she asked flatly, trying not to let her excitement out.

Shinji stuttered suddenly. He had been completely lost in gazing at her, and was now embarrassed at having been caught out in the open like that.

"I... uh..." he stammered.

Asuka smirked at the hapless boy in front of her. It felt good to have things back to the status quo for a moment. She was a little worried she was losing it. To her joy, however, she still had the power to reduce Shinji to a bumbling idiot.

"You look great," Shinji suddenly said. He went stiff and tilted his face towards the ceiling after the words came out. He had again acted without conscious thought.

Asuka stared blankly at Shinji. He had never, ever commented on how she looked before. Not once, even when she asked, did he give his opinion of her appearance. So now she didn't know what to respond with. She had lost control of the situation again.

"Uh... thanks," she said, blushing.

The two stood there briefly, neither looking at each other. Shinji kept looking at the ceiling above Asuka while she looked down towards the ground. They were both blushing now, frantically trying to think clearly. Neither could think, however. It took Shinji's strangely bold sub-conscious to get them out of the awkward situation.

"Well, we should get going," he said. He finally managed to tilt his head back down to look at Asuka and smiled nervously.

Asuka nodded and turned to walk to the door.

Shinji let her go first, thankful that he managed to breathe again once she was about five feet away. That was short lived, however, as the scent of her shampoo invaded his senses when he took a deep breath. The sweet fruity scent nearly made him faint.

Asuka walked to the door with a blank expression. She couldn't believe what was happening. She wondered if she was dreaming, although she never had dreams like this. No, she usually had nightmares, actually, so this had to be real. In some weird and twisted way, this was really happening. Asuka couldn't believe it, but the proof was irrefutable.

Finally coming to terms with the situation, Asuka perked up and took a deep breath. She was going to maintain herself. No matter what happened, she was going to remain composed, and not allow her to be left so confused again.

Now ready, Asuka realized that Shinji hadn't arrived at the door yet.

"Hey, you coming, or what?" she asked sharply.

"Err, coming," came Shinji's rushed reply.

Asuka tapped her foot until Shinji finally appeared at the entryway. She took one look at him and frowned.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Seriously?" she asked. She had an eyebrow raised at him now.

"What?" he asked.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Asuka said loudly.

Asuka was speaking of Shinji's choice of dress. He was wearing his school uniform, of all things, which was totally preposterous on a day out with no school. He at least had forgone the jacket and tie, which was a new addition, since they were in high school, but that didn't really make things any better. She couldn't believe that even Shinji could be so socially inept. To make matters worse, he hadn't gotten his new uniform yet, so he looked twice as dorky in pants that didn't cover his ankles. Asuka wanted to slap her palm on her forehead, but suppressed the urge.

"Come here!" she spat.

Before Shinji could respond, Asuka grabbed him by his shirt collar and dragged him into his room. As if he were a doll, she tossed him onto his bed, one handed, and proceeded to rip open his closet. After a minute of digging and muttered cursing, Asuka fell to her knees and threw her hands up in frustration.

"You're not kidding!" she shouted.

"Huh?" was all Shinji could reply with. He had no idea what the problem was.

It hadn't taken her long to go through Shinji's entire wardrobe, and Asuka was not impressed. There were five school uniform sets, all of which were too small. Besides that he had a few crew t-shirts, all of which were a good five years out of style, and khakis. _Khakis_,of all things. No one wore khakis anymore. That trend died off with Old Navy when someone thankfully dropped an N2 mine on their headquarters during the Impact Wars.

Not giving up just yet, Asuka turned on her knees and eyed Shinji's dresser. She got up and pulled open the drawers, not caring about the mess she made as she dug through them. She didn't even care when her hands went wrist deep into his drawer of boxers.

Shinji watched helplessly as Asuka turned his room upside down. His clothes were everywhere, and she didn't seem to be satisfied with the results of her search. It was going to take him a while to clean this up.

Asuka was huffing loudly by the time she was done. In her hands she held an old pair of jeans that didn't look too promising, but they would do. She continued to hold the jeans in her left hand while she surveyed the shirt in her right. It was a white crew style t-shirt with a blue stripe horizontally through the middle. It wasn't the most appealing shirt, and in Asuka's opinion, it was boyish. It was something a ten year old would wear for his mother, but it was the best she could find.

"Here," she said.

Asuka threw the clothes at Shinji. He caught the garments and looked at them. He hadn't worn those jeans since coming to Tokyo-3, and that shirt... He wondered if it even still fit. He got it when he was twelve from the teacher he lived with.

"I'll be waiting outside," Asuka said hotly.

Shinji just stared as Asuka left his room and closed the door behind her. He looked down at the clothes in his hands and then at the room around him. Clothes were scattered everywhere. Even the drawers of his dresser were on the ground, as Asuka seemed to find it much more efficient to pull them out entirely and dig through them on the floor. To be frank, it looked like a tornado had just gone through, and Shinji was worried that the rest of the day was going to end up the same way.

Sighing, he started to change.

On the other side of the door, Asuka had her arms crossed again while she tapped her foot impatiently. She really couldn't believe what she had just seen. Shinji's wardrobe didn't need an overhaul, it needed an infusion of nitrous oxide during a jump start. She should have been thankful, in way, she realized. Not many people could claim to have seen a living dinosaur, but clearly that's what she had just experienced.

_He's so helpless _She thought to herself. _How could anyone be so out of touch with the world?_

Shinji finally exited his room and stood before Asuka. She eyed him from head to toe with a speculative look. The jeans fit him a little tightly, but at least covered his ankles. They were light blue, which didn't look good at all on him, but it at least gave her an idea on where to start on their mission to rebuild Shinji Ikari's image. The shirt, by God's grace, still fit Shinji, although as Asuka had feared, made him look three years younger.

"It's not much," Asuka said while rubbing her chin, "but at least its better."

Shinji sighed. He knew he didn't have Asuka's fashion sense, but he never worried about it before. Now, he suddenly realized he was a lot further behind the curve than he thought. Part of him was thankful he had someone to help him pick out clothes this time, although the other 99% was just afraid.

"Say, Shinji," Asuka said.

"Yes?" Shinji replied.

"Just how much money did you say you had saved up again?" she asked.

"Err... I didn't..." Shinji said.

"Well, how much?" Asuka asked again, irritated that she had to repeat her question.

"I don't know," Shinji admitted quickly. "However much they give us weekly times eighty weeks, I guess?"

Asuka's eyes went wide in shock at Shinji's explanation of his bank account. She knew exactly how much Nerv gave them on a weekly basis. 25,000 yen. It was below minimum wage, but also tax free. If Shinji had seriously spent his entire time in Tokyo-3 without spending a single of his own yen, he had amassed 2 million yen. The equivalent of 20,000 US dollars. He was quite possibly the richest kid in school.

The gears in Asuka's mind started to move, and her face twisted into a mischievous smile. Shinji knew that smile all too well, and what happened next only compounded that fact.

Asuka rubbed her hands together and grinned.

"Wunderbar..." she said.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato wasn't surprised to see Ritsuko waiting for her when she entered the halls leading toward the main hanger. Whenever things were this serious, she was on top of the ball when it came to being on time everywhere. The woman looked ready to take on the day's challenges as she stood with some folders in one hand and her ever present mug of coffee in the other.

"What's the situation?" she asked as the blonde joined her as she walked down the hall.

"With him? Or the things?" Ritsuko asked before taking a sip of her coffee.

Misato cringed. She didn't want to talk about the commander at the moment.

"The swords," she answered. "How have the tests gone so far?"

"Not good," Ritsuko said. She handed Misato one of the folders she was carrying and explained, "So far, conventional means of extracting samples have been ineffective."

"I see," Misato replied. She didn't like the sounds of that. This sort of thing wasn't her expertise, so thinking outside of the box wasn't really possible in her case.

"That folder has all of the data we've managed to collect thus far. Maya will be able to explain them in better detail," Ritsuko said. "She'll also fill you in on some of the ideas we were tossing around when we stopped last night."

"Alright, sounds good to me," Misato said as they rounded the corner. She hadn't looked at the folder yet. She figured she may as well wait until she got to the hanger so she could ask Maya any questions she was going to have when looking through it.

"I'm sorry for dropping this on you," Ritsuko said.

"It's okay," Misato assured her friend. "I understand completely."

"Thanks," Ritsuko said. "Did Shinji suspect anything this morning?"

"Honestly?" Misato thought about it for a second. "He probably found it suspicious that he's getting the day off out of the blue, but he didn't pry."

Misato's lips suddenly curled into a smile and she continued.

"Plus, you won't believe what he did after he found out," she baited her friend.

"Try me," Ritsuko dared her. After last night, she was sure nothing could surprise her.

"Shinji practically asked Asuka out on a date," Misato said with a smirk.

Ritsuko suddenly spat out the coffee she had been sipping.

"What?" she exclaimed. Ritsuko couldn't hide her shock. She was wrong, there were things that could totally surprise her still.

"Yup," Misato said triumphantly. She always enjoyed getting that kind of reaction out of her usually composed friend. "He's about go out clothes shopping with her."

"Clothes shopping?" Ritsuko could barely stifle her laugh. "That's not a date. That's a suicide attempt."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll survive," Misato said cheerfully.

"Ha!" Ritsuko laughed. "You'll have to fill me in tomorrow."

"Sure thing," Misato replied with a grin.

The two women chuckled to each other. It was nice to have a good laugh before they faced the day. Lord knows, they needed something to laugh about in the middle of the huge mess they were in.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Gendo Ikari opened his eyes slowly to a blank ceiling he was unfamiliar with. Florescent light welcomed his eyes to the waking world, and he had to squint while they adjusted.

Laying still for a moment, Gendo stared blankly at the ceiling. The thoughts of his failures still dominated his mind, preventing anything else from getting his attention. He felt a great guilt crushing him, which paved the way for anger and regret.

"M...my..." He tried to speak, but the words rasped out as he discovered his throat was dry as a bone. He licked his lips and cleared his throat to try to coax some moister into his mouth, but found that it wasn't helping much.

While still trying to moisten his mouth and throat, Gendo tried to get up from the bed. He barely flinched, however, as he discovered that his wrists, ankles, and waist were all restrained to the bed by leather straps.

Gendo started to struggle under the restraints, attempting to break free. He rattled the bed roughly as he struggled, but the restraints were bound tightly, and he eventually gave up.

Gendo considered his situation. He was helplessly tied to a bed. He had no control over what was happening, and that was because the people that had put him there deemed it best that way. Gendo wondered if perhaps that was the way things should have been all along. When he thought he was in control, he made decisions no person should have made regarding the people around him. He even knew at the time he made them that they were unforgivable.

Back then, he didn't think it mattered. All that mattered to him was achieving his goal. Once he achieved his goal at the end of his journey, the crimes he committed wouldn't matter. He would have been beyond the consequences.

But, he had failed in reaching his goal, and he had to face the weight of his decisions. They hit his once shielded heart like a mighty hammer, breaking him at his core. He knew he was beyond forgiveness, because not even God would forgive what he did.

As the feeling of utter hopelessness once again took hold of him, Gendo Ikari felt his mind become a blur. All he could do was linger on the thoughts of the one person alive that would ultimately serve as his judge.

"My son..." he said sadly.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:11**

**- Lady -**

* * *

Shinji was robotic as he walked beside Asuka. The journey to the mall had been a silent one, although it wasn't a peaceful silence. He could feel the eyes looking at him. He knew he looked silly, especially next to Asuka, but he didn't respond.

Asuka could also feel the stares they were getting. She felt her cheeks go pink whenever girls would giggle, obviously finding their appearance amusing. She wanted to give them a piece of her mind. She wanted to show them the consequences of laughing at her, or Shinji. She did not lash, out however. For some unknown reason, she grinned and bore it. At the end of the day, Shinji would be a new man. She would make sure of that.

The two were nearly to the mall when they passed by the local arcade. Shinji glanced over and stopped walking.

Asuka took a few more steps before realizing Shinji was no longer beside her and looked back.

"What did you stop for?" she asked.

Shinji looked at the entrance of the arcade. He could make out a giant pair of cockpit style machines in the center of the front, and found himself curiously drawn to it.

"Hey, want to play a game?" he asked.

"Huh? now?" Asuka asked with her hands on her hips. It was a little early to be at an arcade, even if it was a Sunday.

"Yeah," Shinji replied. "It'd be easier now than later when we have to carry all the bags," he explained.

Asuka blinked. His logic made sense. She was actually surprised he was able to articulate such a solid argument. He usually came up with something stupid.

"Eh, why not," Asuka relented. She'd at least enjoy giving him a good pummeling. She never lost to Shinji when it came to video games.

The two walked to the arcade and Shinji bought some tokens. Asuka took a look around while waiting for him, pondering which game she would use to deliver the thrashing. There were a good number of people around the arcade considering how early it was. Still, most of the games were readily available, since the arcade had multiple machines for most of them. She saw the latest Tekken Tag game and grinned. That had to be the worst game for Shinji to play.

"Let's try this one," Shinji suddenly said.

Asuka turned to look to where Shinji's voice had come from. He was standing next to a pair of cockpit style arcade machines she didn't recognize.

"Is that new?" she asked.

"Must be," Shinji said. "I haven't seen them here before."

Asuka walked over and looked over the machines as Shinji took a seat in the one on the right. The title of the game was Virtual-On Jupitour, and it was made by Sega, her favorite game company. The cockpits had twin sticks that looked suspiciously like the ones found in the Evangelion cockpit. Something in Asuka sparked as she put the pieces together. This was a challenge as a pilot, she was sure of it.

Feeling the fire in her burn brightly, Asuka got into the left module and chuckled.

"One game couldn't hurt," she said sweetly.

Shinji put in the tokens and the two started up a versus match. The game had a large selection of robots to choose from, and Shinji wasn't sure which one to choose. He eventually settled on Myzr-Delta, a purple robot that seemed to have a good balance for its stats.

Asuka smirked at Shinji's choice. Now she could really tell this was a personal challenge. She looked through all of the selections, but to her dismay, the only red one was a girly robot named Fei-Yen. She thought the thing looked ridiculous, which a skirt and what appeared to be bunny ears? What the hell kind of robot was that? She was about to surrender to her fate when she noticed Shinji's selection box was scrolling through colors. She saw it scroll through a shade of red and gave a sigh of relief before shuffling over to Myzr-Delta and choosing its red variant.

Shinji suppressed a grin and chose the dark purple Myzr-Delta. If that's how Asuka wanted to play it, he'd gladly oblige.

The two waited patiently as the match loaded with their hands firmly gripping the twin control sticks. When the announcer said "go" they both sprang to action instantly.

Shinji laughed as he dodged Asuka's robot. He found the game very responsive to the control sticks, and found it instantly enjoyable to fly around blasting his energy rifle at Asuka.

Asuka was jerking her sticks back and force furiously while smashing the buttons to fire at Shinji. He was a squirrelly little bastard, she'd give him that much. She was laughing as the environment exploded around them, however. He'd run out of places to hide soon.

Shinji flew his robot from barrier to barrier as Asuka continued to fire madly at him. He found her strategy to be so typical of her. Guns blazing, no concern over defense. That was so Asuka. She didn't even see it coming when he slowly spiraled around her fire until he was right on her and cut her down with an energy sword.

"What?" Asuka exclaimed as her robot started to explode and the screen blinked a warning that her life bar had depleted. "Nooooooooo!"

Shinji chuckled at Asuka's response. It was rare for him to beat her at video games, so he was enjoying this.

Asuka glared over at Shinji and snatched a handful of tokens from his pocket. She put in another one and hit rematch before the counter could hit zero.

Shinji was still chuckling as the rematch loaded up, much to Asuka's displeasure. She was going to wipe that stupid grin off his face.

The rematch began, and Asuka launched her robot at Shinji's. She slashed at him with her energy sword, but Shinji dodged backwards and shot her several times with his energy rifle before she could recover.

Asuka growled as her robot was pummeled with energy fire. By the time she recovered from her lunge and darted to the side, it was already smoking. An alarm was blaring from the speakers behind her, letting her know her energy level was critical.

"Damn it," she hissed. She spun around to look for Shinji's robot, but could spot it. She walked through the environment slowly, looking for a sign of the purple robot. She did not see it, however, and cursed when she was hit from behind and her screen blinked red again.

"Scheiße!" she cursed in German.

Shinji was laughing freely now. He had completely outwitted Asuka.

Asuka heard Shinji laughing at her and started to tremble with anger. She felt her cheeks go red at being humiliated by him, and wouldn't stand for it. She growled as she leaned into his module and started pounding on his shoulder with the sides of her fists.

"Aaaaaargh! Don't you know you're supposed to go easy on a lady!" she fussed.

Shinji continued to laugh as Asuka beat on him. The pounding was exactly the same as the one she had given him in Unit-02's cockpit when she complained about him piloting it without her permission. In other words, it didn't hurt at all. He fended off her fists and leaned over to her module in return.

"And since when were you a lady?" Shinji joked before sticking his tongue out at her.

"Whaaaaat? What did you say?" Asuka couldn't believe it. Now he was really in for it. "That's it, now you're doomed!"

Asuka dropped another token into the machine and hit rematch again.

"I don't care how many tokens it takes! You're going down, Third Child!" she hissed.

"Bring it on!" Shinji replied.

The two continued to play the game as a crowd formed to watch. For nearly half an hour, Shinji beat Asuka repeatedly, causing her to growl and curse after each match. After particularly embarrassing defeats, Asuka would threaten Shinji with her shaking fist. The crowd seemed to enjoy the show. They were even taking bets on how long Shinji's win streak would go, or how long before Asuka actually made good on her threats and started pummeling him.

Asuka didn't hear the crowd around them. She had completely zeroed in on the game as she continued to attack Shinji's robot relentlessly. This match was going better than the last twenty, so she was being extra cautious. She had kept Shinji in her sights at all times, nursing the trigger so as to not flood the screen with explosions and smoke. Shinji was firing back in kind, which she dodged expertly.

The match was coming down to the wire, and an alarm was going off as the timer clicked down past ten seconds. Asuka looked back and forth until Shinji finally stopped flying around. He also noticed the timer and took her dead on. Asuka smirked and flew at him as well. The two robots were about to collide, swords drawn, when Asuka strafed to the right.

Shinji hadn't anticipated the sudden dodge. Not when there were only three seconds left. His attack flew harmlessly to Asuka's left, leaving him completely open.

"There!" Asuka said joyfully.

Asuka thrust both sticks forward and hit all four buttons simultaneously. Her robot surrounded itself with a fireball and rammed into Shinji's. The timer stopped at 00.57 as Shinji's robot blew apart and Asuka laughed like a maniac.

"Yes!" She exclaimed madly. "Victory is mine!"

Shinji didn't say anything. He was more concerned with the state of the arcade machine. Asuka's module was smoking from the amount of force she had been using on the sticks, and he wasn't sure if it was actually operational anymore.

Asuka smiled proudly as her screen flashed "Winner". She exited the machine and grabbed Shinji by the wrist as the crowd split a path to avoid her.

"Now to immortalize my moment of triumph!" Asuka proclaimed while dragging Shinji behind her.

"What?" Shinji asked nervously. He couldn't help but notice the scared looks on everyone's faces. He also thought he saw some people giving him looks of pity.

Asuka didn't notice the people around her as she dragged Shinji to a booth. She tossed the helpless boy through the curtain and stepped in.

"What the hell is this?" Shinji asked. He didn't recognize the kind of booth they were in.

Asuka didn't answer. She took a seat next to him and put in a token. She scrolled through the backgrounds, finding most of them extremely tacky, but she didn't have time to be picky. She had to strike while the iron was hot, before Shinji recovered.

Shinji stared at the screen as some really cheesy images were scrolled through by the girl next to him. It suddenly clicked what kind of booth they were in. It was one of those photo sticker booths.

_What? Photo? _His mind screamed. He didn't understand what was happening.

Asuka could see Shinji's face on the screen and smirked. It was priceless. She didn't care about the background anymore, she had to capture it. Leaving it on some kind of pink border, she threw her arm over Shinji's shoulders and brought his face next to hers in a head lock.

"Sagen Käseeeeeeeee!" she sang in German.

Shinji sat there completely frozen, cheeks flushed, as the camera in the booth flashed four times. The lights had him seeing stars as Asuka left him in the booth to retrieve their photos from the printer on the side.

Asuka smiled with anticipation as the photo stickers printed. She held them up and grinned at Shinji's face and then stared blankly. The photo was perfect. Shinji looked completely bewildered, with a rather cute blush, while she smiled proudly. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the border she had so foolishly left the selection on in her rush to capture the moment.

There, right before Asuka's eyes, a border of pink and red hearts surrounded her and Shinji's faces. She couldn't believe it. She wondered how she could have been so careless to allow something like that to happen.

_No way!_ Asuka thought in horror. _No way! How could I have missed that? HOW!_

Shinji came stumbling out of the booth. He was rubbing his head like he was recovering from a hangover and looked over to Asuka.

"How'd they turn out?" he asked.

"Huh? What?" Asuka asked while staring at the photos she was holding up to the light.

"The photos," Shinji said.

"Uh... what photos?" Asuka asked nervously. She quickly shoved the strip into her purse.

"The ones you just put into your purse," Shinji said, squinting.

"Terrible!" she said quickly. "No need to waste your time looking at them!"

"Hey, you used my money to take them," Shinji pointed out. "Let me at least look at them."

"No!" Asuka screamed while pulling her purse away from Shinji.

"Geez, what's the big deal?" Shinji asked. "If they're that bad, why keep them?"

Asuka choked on her breath at the question. She had no answer, and yet, she couldn't throw them away either. They were the first photos of them together. Nearly a year together, and it wasn't until now they had a photo together, and it had to turn out like this. She stood there in a silent inner battle while Shinji scratched his head. He was about to interject when a familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind them.

"Hey! Look, its Asuka and Shinji!" Hikari said.

Shinji turned to see Hikari walking towards them with Toji. The two were carrying a few bags, appearing to have just come from the mall.

"Oh, hey guys," Shinji said.

"Hikari!" Asuka exclaimed, sounding a little scared.

Hikari smiled at her two classmates while Toji gave them a curious look.

"What are you up to?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, we were just picking some things up before heading to the hospital to visit my sister," Toji said.

"Oh, that's nice," Shinji said.

"Yeah," Hikari agreed. "Toji's such a sweet guy."

The statement earned a blush from Toji and a chuckle from Shinji. Hikari grinned at her work, blushing a little herself, before observing her friend.

"What are you two doing?" she asked.

"Us? we're just..." Shinji started to say before he was cut off.

"Nothing!" Asuka cried.

Toji flinched at Asuka's outburst. Her behavior had taken another strange turn from last night, further confusing him. He just didn't understand what was with her half the time. He pitied Shinji having to deal with her 24/7.

Hikari, on the other hand, understood Asuka's behavior completely, and gave her a knowing smile.

Asuka saw the look Hikari was giving her and felt like she was shrinking as her cheeks got warm. She felt trapped by the situation, and just wanted to run away.

"Yeah..." Shinji said while rubbing the back of his head. "We're just on our way to the mall to go clothes shopping."

"Oh really?" Hikari said inquisitively. Now she really knew something was going on. She didn't know if she should question Asuka, or congratulate Shinji. She'd at least corner Asuka at school the next day.

Asuka could feel Hikari's intentions from her eyes alone. She knew there was no escaping her questions, but she could at least delay the inevitable. She hastily grabbed Shinji by his hand and started to pull him away from the other pair.

"Yup! Lots of shopping to do!" she said nervously. "Mega dork here needs a new wardrobe! Let's go!"

Asuka had dragged Shinji only a couple of steps when Hikari spoke a little loudly.

"Hey, what's this?" she asked, pointing at the screen on the side of the photo booth. She was using an obnoxious tone, making sure Asuka felt the heat.

Asuka watched time come to a crawl as Shinji started to turn around. Her eyes locked onto the screen on the side of the machine that was showing past photos taken and panicked as theirs was up. Moving faster than ever before, she threw Shinji aside before he could look and kicked the screen with her heel, breaking it entirely.

Hikari and Toji jumped back as Asuka came flying past them and smashed the screen she had been pointing at. Toji had an arm wrapped around Hikari's shoulders while he slipped in front of her to shield her from the debris.

"What the hell, you Devil?" Toji exclaimed. Even for Asuka, this behavior was strange.

Hikari was a little shocked at Asuka's sudden kick to the booth, but smiled to herself after she recovered. She had already seen what was on the screen, and couldn't wait to ask her friend about it later.

Shinji was really confused over Asuka's behavior. He had no idea what the hell was going on, but at seeing her assault and destroy a part of the photo booth, he didn't think it was smart for them to stay and figure it out.

"Okay, maybe we should go," Shinji said while getting up

Asuka was panting heavily as her heart recovered from its frenzied pace. She looked over to Shinji and nodded.

"Yeah, good idea," she said.

The two walked off silently while Toji and Hikari watched. Toji was rubbing the back of his head, trying to figure out what had just happened while Hikari just smiled brightly.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato growled as the testing on the swords continued. Much like yesterday, they were making no headway on identifying what the weapons were made of, or how they were able to change shape. They had been at it for nearly four hours now.

"No response," Maya said as they fired another round of radiation at the sword in the first cage.

"Ugh, this is hopeless," Misato said.

Maya frowned as she observed her monitor. She was also getting frustrated by their lack of progress. It made absolutely no sense that nothing affected the swords in any way.

Misato glared at the sword hanging in from of her. It seemed to leer back at her, mocking her futile attempts to unlock its mysteries. Misato wanted to take its shiny face and plunged it into a volcano. See how it handles the extreme heat.

Something dawned on Misato at that thought. The swords were all completely clean, despite them having been bloodied from cutting Evangelions.

"Hey, Maya, were these cleaned?" Misato asked.

"Mmm? I don't think so," Maya answered.

"Hmm..." Misato rubbed her chin while looking at the sword. She recalled the battle the swords had been used in. There was blood everywhere from the Evas as well as the beast. The entire area had in fact been covered in red and black blood, yet this sword didn't have a single spot on it.

"Okay..." Misato said to herself. She snapped her fingers. "I've got an idea!"

"What is it?" Maya asked. She was eager to try something new.

"Hit it with LCL," she said.

"What? LCL?" Maya asked. She didn't understand.

"Yeah," Misato said.

Misato knew the properties of LCL were entirely organic, and the closest thing to Eva blood they had on hand, short of damaging one of their Units, which was out of the question.

"Fill up a test plug and have it brought over here," she ordered.

Maya blinked in surprise before finally saying "Yes, ma'am. But why a test plug? That will take at least an hour to have moved here. We could do this in a few minutes using one of the piloting plugs."

"I don't want to risk damaging an important piece of equipment," Misato answered.

"Oh," Maya replied. "I'll get right on it."

"Alright," Misato said before turning to leave. "I'm going to go get some coffee. You want something?"

"No, thank you," Maya replied.

Misato nodded at Maya and left the young woman to work on preparing the test plug. She wasn't exactly sure what to expect when they tested the LCL on the sword, but was sure something was going to happen.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ritsuko watched from another room as Gendo Ikari laid inside his hospital room alone. He was still restrained to the bed by the leather straps, but he was no longer giving any physical struggle.

It had been about three hours since Gendo had woken up, and the observations, so far, were not good. Gendo spent the entire time since waking up mumbling to himself. When Ritsuko had gone inside to examine him up close, she could barely make out what he was saying.

Like last night, Gendo was repeating the same phrases about everything being for nothing, and of his sacrifices. He particularly seemed fixated on his failures regarding Shinji. Ritsuko believed she understood that fixation a little.

In terms of Gendo Ikari's sacrifices, two involved other people. He lost his wife, Yui, to an accident that was out of his control. He probably still considered it a sacrifice on his part, however, because he had guided her towards that day to further his plans, one way, or another.

His sacrifice of Shinji, however, had been a choice he made of his own volition. He had full control over what he was doing, and he chose time and time again to sacrifice his son to further his goals. To have his goals suddenly wrested away, and his efforts invalidated, probably brought the weight of his decisions crashing down on him. The decisions involving Shinji seemed to be the ones that were crushing the man the most.

Sighing, Ritsuko began to scribble some notes on her clipboard. She noted that there was no response to medicinal treatment or direct communication with nursing staff, or herself. She also explained that the subject was displaying classic signs of a mental break, which would need to be monitored closely.

Now tapping her pen on her lower lip, Ritsuko contemplated her options. There was an obvious medical treatment involving drugs and therapy, although she knew that was a largely superficial treatment. It was hit or miss on whether that would actually help a patient, and largely depended on their willingness to open up to someone entirely. Gendo Ikari was not that type of person.

Another option was to have friends and family take care of his recovery, which left the list at her, Fuyutsuki, and Shinji. That was an equally unappealing course of action, as neither her, nor Fuyutsuki could really be considered friends, and Shinji's relationship with Gendo was apparently the main reason for his break.

Ritsuko sighed at the hopelessness of the situation. They may as well pray for a miracle, because that's what it was going to take for Gendo to recover. She continued to watch Gendo through the one way mirror at that thought. She had seen miracles. She wasn't the most religious person, but her years at Nerv had made her realize miracles did indeed happen.

Taking a sip of coffee, Ritsuko resolved to not give up hope. If the son could come back from the dead twice, then the father could wake up from a mental break.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka stood outside of the dressing rooms, waiting for Shinji to come out. The day had gone more smoothly since they had arrived at the mall, and they were finally shopping for his clothes after a quick lunch. Asuka had finally managed to calm down after downing an entire coke, and was now in full blown shopping mode.

Shinji exited the dressing room slowly, looking a little nervous. He stood in front of Asuka with his shoulders slouched and his head tilted down.

Asuka observed Shinji's appearance in the outfit she had chosen. He was now wearing jeans that were a much better fit, and a normal blue color. On top, he had on a cherry short sleeved button down crew necked shirt. It was a simple look, but it went well with his hair, and helped him look more his age.

Shinji kept his eyes looking away from Asuka while she reviewed her work. He wasn't use to being scrutinized while clothes shopping. He usually just grabbed something that was his size and bought it. Having Asuka, of all people, looking him up and down was making him very self conscious all of a sudden.

Asuka didn't like the way Shinji was avoiding her gaze. His behavior was causing him to slouch, and it made him look pathetic.

"Don't slouch," she said while grabbing his collar.

Shinji stood up straight as Asuka pushed up on his collar and gulped . The scent of her shampoo was quite strong, now that she was standing so close, making his legs weak. He inhaled the familiar fruity scent, picking out a flowery highlight he hadn't noticed before. He wondered if it was perfume.

Asuka pat Shinji's shirt straight and took a step back to get another look. Now that he was standing up straight, she decided that the look suited him.

"Alright, looks good to me," she proclaimed.

Shinji felt himself blushing at Asuka's comment. That was the first time she had said he looked good in any way.

Asuka ignored Shinji's blush and turned back to the clothing rack she had gotten the shirt from.

"We'll just take this, this, and these," she said while grabbing five more colors of the same shirt. She tossed them over to Shinji, who caught them with a confused look on his face. "Change back into your clothes and keep those together. I'm going find you more pants."

Shinji looked at the stack of shirts in his hands and swallowed the lump in his throat. They had been in the store for fifteen minutes. The first store of what would be many, and he already had six shirts and a pair of pants. At this rate, he was going to need to buy a second dresser.

Sighing, Shinji went back into the changing room and put his normal clothes back on. He placed the shirt back on its hanger and stacked it with the others before exiting with all of the items to be greeted by a rather cheerful redhead holding a pile of jeans and shorts.

"You're in luck," she said, "Their jeans are on sale, and the shorts are the latest style."

"Luck, right," Shinji muttered. In his mind, sales didn't save you money when you just bought twice as much stuff because of them.

"You say something?" Asuka asked from behind the pile of clothes in her arms.

"Err, no ma'am," he replied quickly.

"Good," she said with a hint of warning in her tone.

Asuka handed Shinji the pile of pants and shorts and turned back to look at the racks of shirts.

"There's no need to try those on," she said. "They're the same measurements as the first pair."

"Great," Shinji said, although he wasn't very enthusiastic.

Now outside with the pile of clothes in his arms, Shinji was watching the wonder that was Asuka when clothes shopping. She was darting from rack to rack, looking through the clothes with reckless abandon, yet grabbing out pieces with keen precision. By the time she felt satisfied with her search of the store, Shinji couldn't even see over the pile of clothes in his hands anymore.

"Well, that's one down," Asuka said proudly.

Shinji didn't reply. He slowly walked towards the counter with the clothes, constantly saying "excuse me" in case people were in front of him. When he felt his foot hit the base of the counter he dropped the massive pile with a gasp.

"Did you find everything you were looking for?" the clerk asked.

Shinji looked up at the clerk and grumbled.

The clerk was a girl that looked to be a few years older than him, possibly in college. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail except for her bangs, which framed her face nicely. Her face was nothing special, Shinji thought, although he wasn't about to say that. He did think that her green eyes were quite vibrant, however. She was scanning the clothes with a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah, I guess," he said. He was looking at the girl with uninterested eyes, but to some, it may have appeared that he was staring.

Asuka appeared next to Shinji and snapped a belt in her hands loudly, causing him to jump in surprise.

"Actually," she said a little coldly, "he neglected this."

Asuka placed the belt on top of the items that hadn't been scanned yet and eyed the clerk closely. The clerk smiled back and appeared oblivious to Asuka's hint as she continued to scan the items.

Shinji allowed his heart to calm down while the clothes were all scanned and bagged and then felt it race again as he watched the number on the register climb higher and higher.

_These items are on SALE?_ He thought to himself.

Each item was ridiculously priced. Each shirt was at least 3000 yen, and the pants were at least 5000 yen a piece, despite being 40% off. Shinji was just about ready to faint from morbid shock when the final total was rung up.

"That'll be 96,700 yen, please," the clerk said.

_How is that possible? _Shinji wondered. How could he be spending that much money on clothes in a single store? He probably hadn't spent that much money on clothes in his entire life up to that point.

Shinji handed his Nerv debit card to the clerk while Asuka stood there smiling proudly. The first store had proven fruitful. Her mission to recreate Shinji's image was going well.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato watched as the test plug was brought into the first cage with the loading crane. It brought the back end up to the sword and came to a halt.

"Test plug in position," Maya reported.

Misato took a deep breath before answering "This is it. Everyone watch closely."

"Will do," Maya replied.

The rest of the people at the make-shift research station acknowledged they were ready, and Misato leaned on the railing to get as close a look she could.

"Alright," she said, "expel the LCL!"

"Roger," Maya said as she keyed in the command.

Everyone watched as the test plug expelled the LCL from the emergency release valves on its back end. The amber liquid sprayed out over the sword and coated it completely before the plug finished emptying its contents.

After the plug was empty, Maya had it raised so they could all observe the sword clearly. Her instruments hadn't picked up any strange readings, and she sighed.

Misato heard Maya's disappointment at the apparent results, but didn't give up just yet. She watched the sword closely, and got what she was looking for.

The LCL on the sword began to bubble and seemed to be absorbed into the blade. The whole process took only a few seconds, but when it was finished, the sword appeared perfectly clean, no trace of LCL to be seen.

Maya saw it too, and examined all of the monitors at her station. Despite there being an obvious reaction, the instruments didn't pick anything up.

"That's strange," she said. "The instruments aren't picking anything up, but something clearly happened."

"Hmm," Misato thought about what had just happened. The sword had absorbed the LCL, but what did that mean? She wondered what they could do from there to examine things further.

"Any bright ideas?" she asked.

"Well, the material of the sword clearly reacts to LCL," Maya said. "Wait, that's it!"

Misato looked over to the young tech who now looked determined.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We've been going about this all wrong, ma'am," Maya explained. "The reason our instruments aren't picking anything up is because we're trying to examine these swords as if they're made up inorganic materials."

"Okay, meaning?" Misato asked. She still didn't get it.

"These swords are organic," Maya said. "They're... alive of some sorts."

"Alive?"

Misato couldn't believe that Maya had just suggested that. The idea that these swords were alive was ridiculous, to say the least.

"I know it sounds crazy," Maya said. "But let me configure the equipment we use on the Evas, and you'll see."

"Alright," Misato relented. She decided she had nothing to lose. "Let me know when everything's ready. I'm going to be in my office."

"Yes ma'am," Maya said before getting to work.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji grunted as he dragged the heavy bags of clothes behind him. They had now been to two more clothing stores as well as a shoe store. He had spent over 300,000 yen, and Asuka was showing no signs of slowing. He just hoped she left him enough money for a cab, because there was no way in hell he was going to be able to walk home with all of this stuff.

Asuka was nearly marching as she continued down the walkway of the mall. She had managed to just about cover the casual necessities for Shinji's wardrobe, as well as pick out some shoes for him to wear. The only thing left really were formalwear and possibly some workout attire. She didn't think Shinji ever worked out, but he may as well have clothes available should he decide to.

Asuka sighed as she thought about the prospect of Shinji working out. He needed to, as far as she was concerned. He was way too scrawny for his own good, as was evident by his struggle to keep up with her.

"Hurry up already," she called back to him.

Shinji groaned as he caught up to Asuka and huffed when he got a chance to stop and rest.

"Geez, you're pathetic," Asuka said while looking down at Shinji's struggling posture. "We're not even half way yet."

Shinji choked at hearing they weren't even half done with the shopping. He wondered how anyone could possibly plan on buying this much clothes.

"I'm doing my best, okay?" Shinji said.

Asuka was pleasantly surprised that Shinji didn't apologize, for once. Perhaps he wasn't a lost cause after all.

"Well, whatever," Asuka said before taking one of the bags. "I guess I'll help carry this, even though it's your job."

"Gee, thanks," Shinji said, making sure the sarcasm was obvious. Although, he did feel like a good fifty pounds had been lifted from his shoulders.

"You should learn to appreciate your good fortune," Asuka remarked before turning back around and continuing through the mall.

Shinji followed suit, finding it a bit easier to keep up now. He decided to enjoy it while he could, since they were on their way to buy even more clothes.

In the distance, a light blue haired girl watched the pair retreat down the mall.

Rei Ayanami had just exited a store she had been buying some clothes from when she heard the unmistakable voice of the second child. When she saw the two were also there shopping, the strangest feeling had overtaken her.

She found herself hiding reflexively while watching them talk. When they started to walk off, she looked down at herself and her bags, and seemed to feel somewhat inadequet. Unlike the other two, she was dressed in her school uniform. The navy blue skirt and sweater weren't bad looking, but she had been getting looks all day, and she was beginning to understand why.

Before, Rei wouldn't have noticed, or cared, but since 'waking up', as she had come to call it, her awareness made her very self conscious. Seeing her two fellow pilots dressed so differently hit her harder than the looks did. In particular, she noticed that they wore bright colors, where as she had been buying mostly black and white clothing.

Rei took another look at the contents in her bags. She would need to buy more clothes, she thought.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Fuyutsuki observed Gendo through the one way mirror while Ritsuko scribbled an update on her clipboard. From what she had told him, Fuyutsuki was at a loss over what to do.

"So there's been no change at all?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not," Ritsuko said. "He's been mumbling non-stop since waking up. We've been feeding him introveniously, because he won't respond to anything."

"I see," Fuyutsuki said in thought. He'd only seen something relatively close to this once before.

That was when he had observed Misato aboard the ship examining the Antarctic. She had gone completely mute and unresponsive to the world around her after witnessing Second Impact up close. As Fuyutsuki recalled, it took her nearly four years to recover, and there was no rhyme or reason to it. She just suddenly spoke up one day. He didn't think the world had that kind of time to wait for Gendo Ikari.

"I take it Seele's spoken to you?" Ritsuko asked.

Fuyutsuki nodded. Seele was in fact the reason he had come to ask about Gendo's condition.

"Yes, they're meeting with me tomorrow morning," he said. "I don't know if they're more happy or annoyed by Gendo's condition."

Ritsuko gave a morbid laugh at that statement. Indeed, there were two sides to how she felt about Gendo's break as well. On a personal level, she felt he finally was getting what he deserved. On a practical level, however, she knew that they needed Gendo to be in command. He knew all the secrets and how to deal with the different branches of government and Seele. Fuyutsuki was a close second, but he was also possibly too "human" to do the job effectively.

"I suppose it can't be helped," Ritsuko said. "They've lost a valuable tool, but also taken care of a headache."

"And now I'm going to fill those two roles," Fuyutsuki scoffed.

"You already filled the headache role a long time ago," Ritsuko pointed out.

Indeed, he had always been a thorn in Seele's side. That was why they threatened to take care of him if he didn't join Gendo Ikari at Gihern. It was a subject he didn't like to think about.

"Have you been able to examine the tissue samples recovered from the battle?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Not yet," Ritsuko answered. "I'll be starting tests once Misato and Maya are finished with the weapons."

"Make it your top priority after the lances," Fuyutsuki ordered. "Seele wants that information."

"I'll be sure of it," Ritsuko said.

"Keep me posted," Fuyutsuki said.

The commander turned and left Ritsuko alone in the room overlooking Gendo Ikari's. The woman sighed as she watched the man mumbling on the bed. It was strange to think that everything seemed to be falling apart along with Gendo. She had to wonder if everything would be less tense if the man before her was still in control. The curious case of Gendo Ikari.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji sighed as he relaxed on a bench in front of the store Asuka had gone into. She had finally decided to do some shopping for herself, allowing him to take a breather. Thankfully, it was also an undergarment store, so he didn't even have to think about his place on the subject of following her or not. Also, knowing she would take a while, he had taken the opportunity to do some shopping he actually wanted to. So, he had gone to the music store to purchase new strings, and some sheet music.

Shinji flipped through the sheet music he had bought for his cello, contemplating the songs. He had decided to buy a collection of modern pieces written for works of theater and cinema. It was a marked difference from his usual classical practice, but he did enjoy some of the music being written these days. It would be an interesting experiment, at least.

Shinji took a CD out from the bag from the music store and observed it. It was the accompanying CD to the book, which played the accompanying parts to the cello for most of the songs. He wasn't surprised they didn't carry such a thing for S-DAT players, and was glad that Misato had a stereo he could use. He just didn't like this sort of thing coming from speakers instead of ear buds. When the music plays from his ear buds, it surrounds him, making him feel like he's there, and a part of the performance. From speakers, it makes it too obvious that he's just listening to a recording. Still, it would have to do.

Shinji replaced the book and CD in the bag with the strings and stared blankly at the store Asuka was in, wondering just how much time had passed. It probably took him at least half an hour to get to and from the music store. She should be finished any minute now, he thought.

Just as Shinji formed that thought, Asuka called him over from the entrance of the store.

"Shinji," she said while waving.

"Mmm?" he wasn't really sure if he had heard someone calling him or not, but recognized Asuka waving towards him. "What's up?"

"Uh..." Asuka laughed nervously. "Come here."

Groaning, Shinji stood up and walked over, dragging the sizable load of bags behind him.

Asuka smiled sweetly at Shinji as he reached her by the entrance. He didn't like the looks of that smile at all. He couldn't remember ever seeing that kind of smile on her face, which meant he had no idea what was coming.

"Can I borrow some money?" she asked.

"What?" Shinji asked, shocked.

"I'm a little short," she explained.

"So buy less," Shinji said flatly. He had spent enough already, and wasn't about to drop another 100,000 yen for Asuka's clothes.

In response to Shinji's comment, Asuka's face turned into an angry scowl. Her eyes glared at him, and he could have sworn the air around them got ice cold.

"Ulp," Shinji swallowed nervously. This was a side of Asuka he was very familiar with.

Asuka leaned forward and glared at Shinji silently. Her eyes were ice cold, and conveyed the message of "you better, or else." She was met with no resistance as she reached into Shinji's pocket and retrieved his wallet.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato watched Maya arrange everything in the first cage with her arms crossed. It had been nearly two hours since she started configuring the equipment, and she was now ready to do whatever it was she had planned.

"Alright, beginning tests," Maya reported.

Misato nodded and watched the monitors as the tech got to work. She didn't know what the readings meant, but the fact that the lines were actually moving let her know something was happening.

"Ah ha!" Maya exclaimed. "I knew it! They're organic!"

Misato smiled and leaned over Maya's chair to take a closer look.

"So what exactly are we dealing with?" she asked.

"Not sure," Maya said while she continued to type in some commands. "But, their composition is very similar to that of the Evas."

"Similar to the Evas?" Misato asked. "How?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say they're made out of an LCL based organic tissue," she said.

"LCL organic tissue?" Misato repeated the term and thought about it. "That would make sense as far as their shape shifting goes, but what about their ability to penetrate an AT-Field?"

"Unknown," Maya said. "We'd need Dr. Akagi to take a look at these findings."

"Right," Misato agreed. "Well, I think we're done here, for now."

"Alright, I'll compile the data and get the report together," Maya said.

"Thanks," Misato said while standing up straight. "I'm going to tell Ritsuko what we found, and see if she has any thoughts."

"Okay."

"See you later," Misato said while waving behind her.

Misato contemplated the discovery Maya had made as she left the cage. She found it hard to believe that something that solid was made of organic tissue, but it also did make sense, in strange way, Also, in all the battles with the Angels, she had seen several powerful organic means of attacking, such as the 14th Angel's paper thin arms. She wondered just what they had contained in the first cage now, and whether or not it was safe to even keep them.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka was beaming as she and Shinji arrived home after what she considered a victorious mission. She had successfully picked out a full wardrobe of the latest styles for Shinji to wear on any and all occasions. Such a feat was worthy of a medal, as far as she was concerned. The mega dork would be no more.

Behind her, Shinji huffed and wheezed as he staggered through the front door. He had bags upon bags of clothes in his hands, as well as looped around his arms and shoulders. He had lost count of how much money he had spent, but he knew it wasn't going to be pretty when he added it all up. He didn't even know how much money Asuka had spent on her 'things'.

All told, they had gone to nine stores, not including his music store, or Asuka's undergarment store. At each store, he had spent nearly 100,000 yen, resulting in way more clothes than he would ever get to wearing. He had protested Asuka at each store after the second one, which only earned him a taste of her fury. In all instances, he had relented, earning him more than a few "whipped" comments from people that had been around to witness everything.

Finally reaching the couch, Shinji dropped all of the bags and spun around before collapsing onto the soft cushions. He felt like he was sinking into the soft fabric of the couch and sighed. It was good to be home.

"Well, that was fun," Asuka said while reaching down to retrieve her bag of things from the ground.

"Yeah, fun," Shinji said tiredly. He was ready for a nap.

"You really need to start working out," Asuka said. "How can you be so exhausted from a little shopping?"

"You're probably right," Shinji said, not wanting to argue. Although what he really wanted to do was ask how what they had just done was a 'little' shopping.

"Of course I'm right," Asuka said.

"Mmm," Shinji mumbled his acknowledgement of her correctness. In truth, her constant jabbing about his lack of strength had begun to get to him. He also did feel a little embarrassed at how much the shopping had exhausted him.

"Well, I'm going to my room until dinner," Asuka said as she left Shinji where he laid.

Shinji heard Asuka's door slide shut and let out a loud groan. As beaten and sore as he had felt after the battle against the Eva Series and the beast from the sky, that was nothing compared to how he felt now. After clothes shopping with Asuka, Shinji was ready for any terror that was coming.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka sat at her desk late in the evening thinking over the day's events. After they had gotten home, things had returned to relative norm. Shinji had passed out on the couch, which didn't surprise her much. She had taken the liberty of place all of his bags in his room so Misato wouldn't freak out when she got home. Doing so took her six trips, making her realize just how much Shinji had put up with while they were out.

Asuka smiled. He had been rather tolerant, although it's not like he did it for nothing. He got to be seen with her, and now he had some real clothes to wear. He should be grateful.

The day had gone well, as far as Asuka thought, but there was one last thing for her to figure out.

Asuka picked up her purse and pulled out the strip of photo stickers they had taken at the arcade. She looked at the photo calmly, taking note of how she felt as she did so.

Asuka felt a warm happiness at the sight of them together in the photo. It wasn't a romantic picture, but it was also a truer representation of reality. As a candid photo taken at the right moment, it captured the real Shinji, and the real Asuka. Shinji looked confused, as if he had been snuck up on, and had a slight blush on his cheeks. Asuka had him in a headlock and was smiling proudly. It was their first picture together. The first memory they had ever bothered to record.

Then there was the matter of the border. The pink and red hearts surrounded their faces like a cheesy valentine card. At seeing these hearts, Asuka felt her cheeks flush and her chest quiver. She honestly didn't know how she felt about the border. She was confused enough as things were, and these stickers were only bringing that confusion to the surface.

Sighing, Asuka put down the strip of photos and then looked over to the bag on her bed. She felt a little guilty about spending Shinji's money like that, after the fact. She was surprised when he didn't complain or even flinch after he found out just how much she had spent, but maybe he didn't want to confront her about her purchasing bras and panties with his money. If he had, she would have put him in his place, that's for sure. Still, though, he had spent the money on her, willing or not, and she hadn't even thanked him.

Looking back at the strip of stickers, Asuka shrugged and peeled one off.

"I guess he deserves at least this much," she said to herself.

Asuka looked at the sticker on her finger tip and stood up. She took a deep breath.

"Okay, Asuka," she said to herself, "no blanking out this time."

Steeling herself, Asuka opened her door.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji gave out a loud yawn as he stretched in the kitchen. He had spent the rest of the day and evening after waking up putting all of the clothes away while placing his old clothes into a couple of the bags to be donated. Misato had thankfully agreed to pick something up on her way home, and even surprised them with a decent American style fast food meal It was another detail of the day that was a tad off, but a welcome one.

All told, the day was more eventful than he thought it would be, and he was ready to sleep.

Misato observed Shinji's prolonged stretch and yawn and smirked.

"Long day, eh?" Misato asked, already knowing the answer.

"That's one way of putting it," Shinji answered. He knew Misato was trying to corner him.

"So, how was your little day out with Asuka?" she asked. She hadn't gotten the chance to pry information out of Shinji earlier, since Asuka had been around too.

"Interesting," Shinji said. "Expensive, and exhausting."

"Ah yes," Misato mused, "The three laws of clothes shopping with teenage girls."

Shinji chuckled. He was sure Asuka was an entirely different case than any other teenage girl.

"So..." Misato said while eying the young man in front of her. "Did you get to see her try on any new outfits? May-haps some bras?" she teased.

Shinji choked and went red at the question. He was surprised he didn't outright faint, because his vision had gone blurry for a second while his brain processed the question.

Misato giggled from behind her beer can. Shinji was just too easy of a target sometimes.

Shinji regained his composure, and didn't dignify her tease with a response. He just walked towards his room, away from the still giggling Misato.

"I'm going to bed," he said.

"Goodnight," Misato called after the boy.

"Goodnight," Shinji replied.

Shinji was about to open his door when he heard the one behind him slide open.

"Hey, Shinji," Asuka said.

"Huh?" Shinji turned to look at Asuka.

Asuka had her head turned slightly, not looking at him directly. She seemed to be nervous about something.

"What's up?" he asked.

Asuka swallowed at the sound of his voice and took a deep breath. She turned to look at Shinji with a serious expression on her face,

"Here," she said.

Before Shinji could respond Asuka raised her hand and ran her finger over his forehead. She then flicked it and said "You did good today, Shinji."

"Huh?" was all Shinji could say while Asuka turned back around and closed her door. He stood there for a moment, wondering what she meant and rubbed his forehead.

Misato had watched the strange interaction between the two from her seat at the table and walked over to the still surprised boy. When she was beside him, he looked over to her.

"Oh, Misato," he said at seeing his guardian. He hadn't heard her coming and only noticed when he felt her standing close to him.

Misato saw the sticker on Shinji's forehead and had to press her hand to her lips to stifle her laugh. She could barely contain it, and felt her cheeks going red from the effort. She quickly walked past Shinji and into her room before she lost it.

Shinji was really perplexed now. He entered his room and looked into the window glass, the best reflective surface he had.

"Oh, it's that sticker," he said.

Shinji could see it on his forehead, but couldn't make out what it looked like in the faint reflection on the window. He carefully peeled it off and looked at it and went stiff.

The image of them together was surprising enough. Asuka looked genuinely happy, which was really rare for her. Nearly every smile she wore was always a mask of some kind, but her face on the sticker was as natural as he had ever seen her. He, of course, looked ever the unsuspecting fool, clueless and blushing. Then there were the hearts. He finally understood why she had been so reluctant to let him see the photos earlier, and even understood why she had kicked in the TV screen on the side of the booth.

What was confusing though, was why she would give him the sticker now. He would have expected her to burn them, not keep them. Still, Shinji felt something warm in his chest when he finally recovered from his shock.

Shinji wasn't sure what any of this meant, but he knew there was no way he could ask Asuka, or even begin to understand on his own. He did want to keep the sticker however, and knew where he'd never lose it. Reaching over from his bed, Shinji got his S-DAT player and placed the sticker on the back. He took one last look at it before putting in his ear buds. Smiling, he pressed play.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka leaned against her door after she shut it. Her legs were shaking, and she slowly slid to the floor with a hand pressed against her chest.

"That wasn't so bad," she told herself.

Asuka took a moment to calm down and then stood up. She shook her head to try to clear it and walked back over to her desk. There were three stickers left, all with slight variants of the same image. She didn't know what to do with the rest, since they were all effectively the same. She hadn't really thought about that when they were in the booth, and just hit the button rapidly.

Lifting up the strip, she peeled another of the stickers off and observed it quietly. She wasn't sure how Shinji had reacted to the photo, or if he would keep it. She didn't want to know. How he handled it was his business. She wouldn't ask.

Asuka also wouldn't answer if Shinji asked her about it. She certainly wouldn't tell him what she did with the rest of them.

Making up her mind, Asuka placed the strip into her desk drawer and then reach up to retrieve the bowl Shinji had brought her the previous evening. She looked at the plain white bowl and smiled before placing the sticker on its outside. She looked at the sticker on the bowl that had served as a reminder of the night Shinji took the initiative, and rendered her powerless.

"Yeah," she whispered to herself with a smile.

Asuka placed the bowl back on the shelf over her desk and then got into her bed. It had been a long day, but she would never forget it.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** At long last, I have touched on Shinji and Asuka's situation. It took a lot of setting up, and the result is the longest chapter of my story to date, even after considerable cutting and editing. I hope all you S&A fans enjoyed this one. I wanted to make something unique, but plausible, and hope it came off that way. Leave your thoughts in a review. ^^

Also, I realize the oddity of the new school uniforms. This was due to an oversight on my part, early on in the story, that they should be wearing new uniforms, since they're in year one of high school in Japan. The passage of time is really strange in Evangelion, but if it's really to be believed that all of the pilots were 14 during the series, then it would actually be starting in December of 2015, after Asuka's birthday. So I'm running on the assumption that it did, and the majority of the series is actually in 2016, and covers their 9th grade.

I would also like to thank Weapon-VII for commenting positively on my direction with Gendo. I also felt that all too often, authors just kept him unchanging. I think that this is a possible path for him, because the original movies proved he was not completely lost.

Oh, and I hope it doesn't take until 2017 for Sega to make Virtual-On 5...


	12. 1:12 A Time of Reflection

Tabris stood silently as the moon hung over Nerv-03 in Germany. It had been nearly two days since his meeting with Seele. Two days since he revealed details about what had happened, and what was to come.

By all accounts, the old men had taken it well. Tabris had expected them to find his words to be absurd, but they were receptive. Tabris noted their arrogance had played a large part in it, however, which didn't surprise him. The old men of Seele had always been overconfident in themselves.

Tabris looked up at the moon and listened to the wind as it passed over his face. He knew what was coming, but the details were fuzzy. As an imperfect clone without his original soul, he lacked a perfect memory. Without that memory, he couldn't be sure about everything. Without his soul, he was also vulnerable.

Tabris groaned as his body began to feel heavy. It had been nearly twenty hours since he had bathed in LCL, and his cells were starting to break down. He endured the pain, however, because he needed to know his limits. He had to know long he'd have when the time came.

As his body became heavier, Tabris dropped to his knees. His muscles strained under the stress, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he'd have to return to the LCL tank.

While Tabris continued to struggle against his genetic flaws, a monolithic tablet appeared behind him. Seele-01 loomed over the kneeling boy and cast its shadow over him.

"Nagisa," Seele-01 said.

"Father," Tabris replied. He didn't bother hiding his disgust. He didn't call Seele-01 his father out of respect. He did it so the man behind that black mask would know when it was all over, he is to blame. He wanted to see the look on the old man's face when he finally realizes his mistakes.

"It's time for you to go inside," Seele-01 said, more threatening than caring.

"Feh," was all Tabris said in response.

"I will not allow my investments to waste away," Seele-01 said with a heavy threat in his tone. "Return to your chamber."

Tabris clenched his teeth as a faint burning grasped his neck. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but let him know that Seele-01 would make his last three hours in his current body excruciating.

"I'll be right down," He said hoarsely.

"Be sure that you are," Seele-01 said before vanishing.

Tabris looked up at the moon once more as he slowly got to his feet. His body felt extremely heavy, and his muscles could barely function. He believed that once he left Unit-05, he'd only have nineteen hours of realistic functionality.

"Nineteen hours to find what I need," Tabris said to himself.

The young boy peered up towards the moon with passive red eyes. His eyes seemed to look beyond the silver sphere, at something unseen in the expanse of space.

"I'll be ready."

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:12**

**- A Time of Reflection -**

**By: OmegaGear**

* * *

The morning at the Katsuragi residence started much as it always did on a Monday. Shinji woke up early to prepare breakfast for everyone, and then lunch for Asuka and himself. It was business as usual for Shinji, until the tapping of footsteps came towards the kitchen and then paused.

Shinji didn't have to look to know who it was. The fact that no chair had been moved to be sat in let him know the person was as uneasy as he was at being in each other's presence.

Indeed, Asuka didn't know how to act when she saw Shinji standing in the kitchen. The night had been strangely restful after the day's events. Strangely, because you couldn't remember the last time she had slept so soundly. Upon waking up, she felt like the day was going to be a good one, but then she saw Shinji and reality came to a crashing halt. All she could do was stand in uneasy silence as her mind ticked over the closing moments of the previous night.

Shinji, for his part, was equally confused. In fact, his night wasn't restful at all. His mind was racing over what Asuka had done before they ended the evening the whole night. He wasn't even sure how much sleep he had gotten, but none of that seemed to matter anymore. His whole body had was tense. He could feel Asuka's eyes on him, and wasn't sure what to expect.

The moment lasted until the contents in the pan Shinji was using started to hiss. He shook his head out of its stupor and resumed cooking, working quickly to prevent the eggs from burning. When he was finished, he placed the eggs on three plates along with some toast. He covered two of them before taking the third and placing it in Asuka's place at the table.

Asuka blinked at the single plate on the table and then looked up at Shinji. His eyes did not meet hers as he turned back to the kitchen.

"You're not eating?" she asked.

"I'm going to make our lunches first," Shinji explained.

"Oh, okay," Asuka said as she sat down.

Asuka ate her breakfast in silence while Shinji started preparing their lunches. She had never been around when Shinji cooked their lunches, so it was strange to hear him hard at work while she sat there enjoying the fruits of his labors. In fact, it made her feel downright guilty for never noticing how long it took until now.

Asuka grumbled quietly to herself while continuing to eat her breakfast. She wondered just how ignorant she had been in regards to Shinji's actions over the past year. She found it ironic that the whole time she thought it was Shinji that had been the oblivious one.

Shinji finished the meat and vegetables portion of the lunches and placed the contents into the two bentos. Since he still had some time to wait for the rice, he took one of the covered plates and sat next to Asuka to eat his own breakfast.

Asuka watched Shinji through the corner of her eye when he arrived at the table. She noticed that he subtly moved his chair away from her as he pulled it out before sitting down. The movement was smooth, and wouldn't have been noticed if she weren't watching him like a hawk. When he ate, his movements appeared forced, like he was trying as hard as he could not to look or face her direction in any way.

Asuka found Shinji's behavior annoying, but couldn't exactly blame him. She was starting to think that giving him the sticker of their photo without any explanation was a bad idea, but it was too late to go back on it now. She also wasn't comfortable with the idea of bringing it up, so she just sat there and tolerated the awkwardness.

_Typical Shinji..._ she thought to herself. _Doesn't have a clue, so he just avoids it all together._

The two continued to eat in silence when Misato made her standard appearance for the morning. She entered the dining room yawning loudly and stretching. Her tank top rose up to show her stomach when she did so, but it didn't earn the usual blush from Shinji, much to Misato's disappointment.

Misato retrieved a beer from the fridge and slammed it with a cheerful howl. She discarded the can in the trash and got a second can before picking up the last covered plate. When she got to the table, she thanked God for the meal and began eating. She noticed her two charges were unusually silent, but figured it was because of her, so she ignored it.

"You two have the afternoon off from Nerv again," Misato said between bites.

Shinji didn't say anything while he ate, but Asuka cocked an eyebrow at the older woman.

"Again? What's going on?" Asuka asked.

"Nothing," Misato lied. "The A.I. simulation core for Unit-03 is coming in, so we're going to be conducting Toji and Rei's sync tests to select the pilot."

At this, Shinji visibly slouched. The mention of Unit-03 brought back unsettling memories, and it was a subject he still didn't like to discuss with anyone, even Toji. He wasn't sure how he'd react to seeing the Eva again, even if it wasn't the same one that his father had destroyed with the dummy plug. He figured Misato and Ritsuko must be worried about this too, which is why at least he was being given time off.

"Oh, I see," Asuka said, letting her words hang in the air. She wasn't quite sure if she bought Misato's excuse.

"Yup," Misato said with as best a smile as she could muster. She was really starting to feel uncomfortable with blatantly lying to both of her charges, and wasn't sure how long she could keep it up. Ritsuko had told her today would be the last, and she was hoping that was true, because a third day off wouldn't be explainable, short of third impact occurring.

By then, Asuka had finished her breakfast. She leaned back in her chair and observed the boy sitting next to her.

Shinji was eating again, although he seemed to have really taken a blow from the conversation. He looked more gloomy than she'd seen him in a while, which made her feel upset. It was like yesterday was all for nothing. At that thought, Asuka did realize something, however.

"Hey, Shinji," she said.

"Yeah?" Shinji asked while he ate slowly.

"Since you already have our lunches done, let's get to school early," Asuka suggested. "That way, you can get your new uniform."

"Alright," Shinji said, agreeing to her idea.

Shinji sounded like a robot, or worse, a doll, Asuka thought. Just thinking that made her feel anger creeping through her arms, and she had to consciously silence it. She understood that Shinji was just down because of the mention of Unit-03. _Still... _She though. _He doesn't have to be so pathetic about it._

Shinji finished his breakfast and gathered his and Asuka's plates. He took them to the kitchen and placed them in the sink. After rinsing them, he took the now cooked rice from the cooker and filled the rest of the lunch bentos. He shut the finished lunches and wrapped them along with a pair of chopsticks each in a cloth.

Asuka and Misato watched Shinji do this, both worrying about him in different ways. Asuka was worried that he was going to be like this all day, which would be a major downer on a day off from Nerv. She may be confused about where they stand with each other, and her own feelings about him, but she was sure she hated the gloomy Shinji. She would have to remedy that, somehow.

Misato was worried that this was just a taste of things to come in regards to Shinji. She was terrified at wondering what he would be like once he found out about his father. The way she saw it, of all the people in Shinji's life, his father was the person he wanted love from the most. No matter how much Shinji claimed to hate him, that deep hatred came from his disappointment in his father, and feeling of betrayal.

Misato believed this was the case, because he had always been so different when it came to his father. He didn't seem nearly as capable in controlling the masking of his feelings when it came to his father. Be it sadness, anger, or hopefulness, Shinji always let it show in regards to his father. And then there was the look in his eyes whenever he saw him. That look of longing from a son for his father had been a major reason Misato truly hated Gendo Ikari.

Misato sighed and stood up with her finished plate. She joined Shinji in the kitchen and pat him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Shinji," she said. "Everything's going to be alright."

Shinji didn't give a reply. The only sign that he had even heard her was that he took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. He left Misato in the kitchen without a word, and went to his room to get his uniform jacket.

Misato sighed and washed the dishes. She was at a complete loss over what to do about Shinji. She hoped an answer came by the end of the day.

While Misato washed the dishes, Asuka gathered the two bentos next to her and placed them in her bag. She didn't say anything to the older woman and left her in the kitchen. She went to the door leading out of the apartment and put on her shoes while she waited for Shinji.

Shinji returned a couple of minutes later fully dressed in his uniform. Asuka didn't understand why he bothered, since they were going to get him a new one that fit when they got there. He looked silly with his ankles showing, but Asuka decided against bringing that up again. After he got his shoes on, the two said goodbye to Misato and left the apartment to head to school.

Misato watched her two charges leave the apartment and sighed. Things were very tense these days. Recent events had left everyone with a lot of uncertainty about the future in many ways. There was a new, unidentified threat, damaged relations with Seele, and the possible loss of their commander. Worst of all, the potential loss of their commander also put the status of one of their pilots at risk, and losing him also meant losing the ability to deploy Unit-01.

Misato continued to stare at the doorway Asuka and Shinji had left through while thinking over things. Her right hand had grasped the corner of the wall leading to the kitchen, and its nails were digging into the paint absent mindedly. She didn't notice, even as her fingertips started to turn white from pressing so hard. She was completely occupied with worry over the thoughts in her head.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Sub Commander Fuyutsuki stood up straight as the twelve members of Seele appeared around him as giant black monoliths. They seemed more imposing than before, but he didn't let his fear show.

"Commander Fuyutsuki," Seele-01 said in greeting.

"Seele" Fuyutsuki said in acknowledgement of the twelve monoliths. His tone was tight and controlled, which was uncharacteristic of him when speaking to Seele.

In the past, Fuyutsuki had been overly confident and non-chalant, due to his knowledge of events and inside dealings with Gendo. Today, however, he was meeting with the parent organization of Nerv to address the collective lack of both.

"We will forgo the usual pleasantries," Seele-01 stated. "You know why you are here."

"Yes," he answered.

"You needn't explain the situation," Seele-02 said. "We are well aware of the details regarding Gendo Ikari."

"We are here to inform you that you will be taking over commend of Nerv for the time being," Seele-04 explained.

"There are few that we can trust with this position," Seele-05 said.

"We do not place much trust in you, because of your closeness to Ikari," Seele-06 warned. "However, we have little choice."

"I understand," Fuyutsuki said.

"Very good," Seele-01 said. "We hereby grant you the rank of Commander. Now, moving forward, you will report directly to us."

"And what of Ikari?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Ikari is paying for his crimes," Seele-03 boasted. "He merely succumbed to his own madness."

"I mean, what about his recovery?" Fuyutsuki rephrased his question. "What will you do with him when he is well again?"

"If, not when," Seele-09 corrected.

"We haven't decided, yet," Seele-01 said. "What Ikari did was inexcusable. However, we cannot ignore his past service to us and this organization. He has been an invaluable ally."

"If he does recover, we would have to speak with him to determine his fate," Seele-02 explained. "Until that time comes, you are not to discuss this matter with us again."

"Your focus should be on identifying this unknown entity that appeared over Tokyo-3," Seele-08 said.

"And in finding a pilot for Unit-03," Seele-04 said.

"Do not worry," Fuyutsuki said. "We're testing our pilots with the simulation core today. We'll have a pilot selected shortly."

"See that you do," Seele-07 said.

"That will be all," Seele-01 said. "We look forward to your report, Commander."

Fuyutsuki was silent as the twelve monoliths around him vanished and the lights in the meeting chamber turned on. As he had thought, the meeting had given him little to no answers. Seele seemed intent on moving forward like everything was a mere bump in the road, delegating the problem solving to subordinates and ignoring outside problems. He wondered how Ikari had done it for over twenty years.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Toji leaned back in his seat as the students of his class began to fill the room in the minutes leading to the start of the day. He had showed up earlier than anyone else for once, finding he was too hyped up over the coming sync tests to sit still at home. Today was the day he would finally get a chance to prove himself as a potential pilot, and live up to his promise to protect his sister.

While Toji mulled over his thoughts and the day's coming events, a particularly loud voice could be heard down the hall. It seemed that Shinji had provoked his red haired roommate, which surprised no one.

"I can't believe it took you so long to get changed!" Asuka complained as she walked into the class room with Shinji following closely behind. "You're lucky we left for school early, or we'd have been late!"

"You could have gone ahead to class while I changed in the bathroom, you know," Shinji said, although he didn't sound very spirited in his defense.

At hearing Shinji's words, several people looked over to the pair and whispered amongst each other as to what exactly his statement implied. Fortunately for them, Asuka didn't notice, otherwise she would have sent them to the nurse, one way or another. Instead, she focused on Shinji.

Asuka glared at Shinji, who cowered slightly under her gaze.

"Yeah right," she said. "You're completely helpless without me! Just look at you!"

Asuka grabbed Shinji's tie and tightened the knot so it was neatly centered in the collar of his shirt.

"Your tie is crooked," she said as she released it. She then brushed his jacket to get out a crease. "And your jacket is creased... And stand up straight!" Asuka pushed up Shinji's shoulders so he was fully erect.

Shinji swallowed nervously as he felt more and more amused eyes looking over towards him and Asuka. He really hated the kind of attention they seemed to always attract in the morning. Be it a fight, lack of communication, or... _this_, it always seemed to get people talking. As if to vocalize Shinji's fears, Toji spoke up.

"Shouldn't a wife dress her husband before they leave the home?" he asked.

The classroom erupted into laughter over Toji's comment, earning a blush from both Shinji and Asuka. The two remained frozen in embarrassment for a second before telling Toji to "shut up" in unison, which only urged more laughter.

Toji just leaned back and smirked at the turn of events. It seemed that after everything they'd gone through, some semblance of normalcy was returning to the world.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Commander Fuyutsuki observed Gendo through the one way mirror between his room and the one he and Ritsuko were in. He had come here immediately following his meeting with Seele, having nothing pressing to attend to until later that day.

"Has there been any change?" he asked.

"Nothing yet," Ritsuko answered. "He's still mumbling the same thing since yesterday. We had to sedate him so he'd even go to sleep."

Fuyutsuki sighed. He didn't have much experience with these sort of things, but he also hadn't heard of a case like this before. He was familiar with people falling into comas, or being mute, but this was nothing like either of those states. It was like Gendo was stuck in some kind of loop.

"Any ideas on how to proceed?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Ritsuko said. She had in fact come up with an idea she believed would work to some extent. She just wasn't sure how safe it was to try.

"Unfortunately?" Fuyutsuki asked in wonder. "Why? What is it?"

"We have his son talk to him." Ritsuko said bluntly.

Fuyutsuki choked at the mere mention of Shinji. Shinji was the last person he wanted to know about Gendo's current situation, let alone come here and talk to him. He didn't know if Shinji would be able to handle, given his history with his father and emotional problems.

"Would that be wise?" he asked.

"In all likelihood, no," Ritsuko admitted. "But I don't see any other options besides that, and waiting. He's fixated on his son, commander."

"Yes, I know," Fuyutsuki said. "But how do we know seeing Shinji won't make things worse?"

"We don't," Ritsuko answered bluntly again. "All we know is that it will probably get some kind of response."

Fuyutsuki pondered Ritsuko's idea while watching Gendo through the glass. He agreed that a confrontation with Shinji would garner a response, he just wasn't sure what. It wasn't just Gendo he was worried about either. He didn't know if Shinji would fare any better from such an encounter.

Ritsuko knew what Fuyutsuki was thinking. She had the same doubts over having Shinji confront his father, but she also knew it was inevitable. They couldn't keep him away from Nerv for a third day, short of detaining him. At the least, they would have to inform him of Gendo's status by tomorrow.

"We don't have much of a choice," Ritsuko said. "We have to say something to him tomorrow. Delaying longer is only going to make it worse when we finally do tell him."

"I know," Fuyutsuki said, a little agitated. Everything was being piled on him in Gendo's absence, and he didn't want to have to deal with matters of child relations as well. It didn't help that he had a soft spot for Shinji, given who his mother was, and didn't want to put him in an uncomfortable situation. Still, he had more pressing matters that needed his attention. He would simply have to accept whatever happened in regards to Shinji and Gendo.

"We'll inform Shinji tomorrow," he said. "Keep me updated on any changes. Gendo's status tomorrow will determine what we say and do with Shinji."

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko replied.

"In the mean time, get working on those tissue samples from the entity. Misato can handle the continued testing on the weapons with Ibuki," Fuyutsuki finished before turning to leave.

"Understood," Ritsuko said to the commander as he stepped through the door. When it slid shut, she turned back to look at Gendo. It had been over 24 hours, and there was no change at all in his condition. The likelihood of him being any different tomorrow was non-existent, in her opinion, which meant things with Shinji were going to be rough.

Sighing, Ritsuko turned to leave the room overlooking Gendo's. She would have to worry about it later, as she had to deal with a full day of tests, analysis, and reports so Seele would back off.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka groaned as the history teacher droned on and on about the world before The Second Impact. Of all the things in her life she had to endure, history class was the absolute worst. Their instructor just couldn't help himself whenever history was discussed, it seemed, and would fall into ranting without fail. She couldn't figure out how he had kept his job all these years, or how he followed her to her first year in high school. She wish he had stayed at the junior high school.

A message indicator blinked on Asuka's laptop screen, eliciting another groan. She always spent these rants chatting with Hikari over anything and everything, but this time, she was not in the mood.

During the morning, before class, Hikari had masterfully descended upon Asuka. Yes, descended is the term she would use to describe the seemingly supernatural manner in which she snuck up on her while she was waiting for Shinji to finish changing into his new uniform. There was no escape, and Hikari's face said it all. She had been caught red faced, and she would soon face questions from her best friend.

Sighing, Asuka resigned herself to her fate and clicked on the message. Sure enough, it was from Hikari.

_Hikari: Hey, Asuka!_

Asuka groaned. She could feel Hikari's chipper mood emanating from the text.

_Asuka: Hey, Hikari._

_Hikari: Soooooooooooo..._

Asuka didn't answer. She wasn't going to give in to her bait. She hoped by some impossible odds, Hikari would drop it. After a moment of silence, however, another message popped up.

_Hikari: Anything you want to talk about?_

_Asuka: Nope._

_Hikari: Ha! Too quick to the draw, Asuka!_

Asuka wanted to slap herself for being so stupid. Of course Hikari would see she was being defensive when she replied so quickly. Grumbling to herself, she typed a reply.

_Asuka: I don't want to talk about it..._

_Hikari: Oh come on... I think it's cute!_

At that, Asuka felt her whole body go stiff. Something about it coming from Hikari just sent strange alarms off in her mind. There was so much more going on behind those words on her screen. As Asuka pondered the text, she could picture the world that her friend must have been building in her mind. It was a world that she didn't want spiraling out of control. Without even thinking, Asuka twisted her head to glare incredulously at her friend, who smiled nervously back. After a brief stare down, Asuka returned her attention to her screen and clicked the keys loudly as she typed her reply.

_Asuka: And just what is that supposed to mean?_

_Hikari: Asuka... there's no need to be so defensive. It's me, Hikari! I won't tell a soul._

_Asuka: ..._

_Hikari: Really! It's a promise!_

_Asuka: ..._

_Hikari: Sigh... fine. You don't have to say anything, but my ears are always open._

_Asuka: ..._

_Hikari: We'll catch up during lunch!_

Asuka closed the message box after Hikari's last statement. She would deal with it when lunch came, and resumed her blank stare at the screen the teacher was using to show a pre Second Impact map. For once, she was thankful time was moving at a crawl.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato stood beside Ritsuko on the main catwalk overlooking the cages as the simulation core for Unit-03 was lowered on one of the catapult plates. This was the first time Misato had actually seen the rather large computer that served as a testing duplicate of an Eva. She had to admit, the black sphere, combined with the assorted cables twisting around it was kind of disturbing. She was wondering if some sicko thought it'd be funny to model the computer like a robotic heart.

Ritsuko went over the checklist she'd have to go through when checking the simulation core and prepping to boot it up. It had been a long time since she'd had to run a simulation core from scratch, and was trying to recall the process, and what to expect.

"So that's it, huh?" Misato asked rhetorically.

"Mm hmm," Ritsuko hummed in affirmative.

Misato watched as the lift moved the simulation core out of the launch bay towards the Pribnow Box, where it would be installed. She then followed Ritsuko down the catwalk in the same direction.

"How's it work exactly?" Misato asked. She had only ever been to activation tests after a pilot had been selected, and never knew this kind of testing even took place. Rei and Asuka had both been chosen at an extremely young age while Shinji was just thrown in while they more or less hoped for the best. She found this test very suspicious.

"I can't really say, actually," Ritsuko answered.

"What do you mean? You haven't done this before?" Misato asked in amazement.

"I have," she answered. "I did it with Rei years ago, but was never involved with the development of the simulation core."

Ritsuko flipped through an old booklet she had retrieved from her archives that had hand written notes scribbled all over it.

"It's considered black box technology," she explained. "The people that developed it were the commander, his wife, and my mother. No one else knows how they truly work."

"Then how did the US produce this without any of those three being present?" Misato questioned. This whole thing was seeming more mysterious the more she learned. Things weren't adding up in her mind.

"All of the Nerv branches have the specs to produce simulation cores," Ritsuko answered. "It is more about the software than the hardware. The program that those three created has been used in every simulation core."

"I see..." Misato was never one for the scientific technicalities, but even this didn't sound like it was legitimate to her. She decided she'd see how the tests went, and look for any abnormalities there before pursuing things further.

The two continued in relative silence until reaching a T-intersection. Ritsuko turned to go left, but Misato had to go right to her office to go over the tests on the lances one more time before preparing for the pilot tests.

"So, how long until we're ready to get started?" Misato asked.

"It'll probably take me a couple hours to go over the simulation core's installation and another to make sure its functional," she said.

"Alright, I'll have the pilots ready in three hours," Misato called out as she began to make her way down the hall. She pulled out her phone and dialed Section 2. It was time to get Toji and Rei.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka groaned to herself as the lunch bell rang. While everyone else was elated to be free of their lecture, Asuka was feeling nothing beyond gloom. Asuka was so consumed with her feeling of dread she hadn't even noticed Hikari as she came humming behind her.

The spritely girl dropped down her lunch bento in front of a startled Asuka and sat down. She smiled at her friend expectantly, as if she was supposed to say something.

"W-what?" Asuka asked dumbly.

"It's lunch time," Hikari sang, teasing her friend. It was rare she was able to do this without being replied with fire.

"Yeah, how about that?" Asuka chuckled nervously.

Hikari relished in her friend's nervousness and unwrapped her bento. She opened it and prepared to eat when she noticed that Asuka had yet to retrieve her own lunch.

"Aren't you eating?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh!" Asuka sheepishly dug through her bag, to her surprise, she felt two bentos inside, and retrieved both. "Oh that's right," Asuka said to herself when she saw the two bentos. "I put them both in my bag this morning..."

"Oh, shouldn't you give that to Shinji?" Hikari asked.

"Eh?" Asuka looked over to her friend and thought about what was being asked. It was the right thing to do, of course, but this wasn't a normal incident. This was an interrogation.

_Show no weakness, Asuka,_ she thought to herself.

"He'll be fine," Asuka said, making sure to sound as non-caring as possible.

"Hey, that's mean!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Well, it's his fault for forgetting to put it in his own bag!" Asuka declared triumphantly. She was sure she had avoided her friend's plans.

"Ooooooh," Hikari said in understanding. "So you placed it in your bag to make sure he had it here anyways. How sweet," she grinned.

Asuka felt her face go cold, and her body numb. She hadn't just sprung the trap, she had set it up for herself. She was baffled she could be so stupid.

"It's nothing like that!" Asuka insisted while avoiding her friend's gaze.

She was trying desperately to avoid cracking under Hikari's pressure when she noticed that the three stooges weren't seated at their desk, where they usually ate. All at once, her train of thought came to a halt and something inside of her clicked on, assuming control of her actions before she could think things through.

"Where has that idiot gone off to now?" she hissed while grabbing one of the bentos on her desk. "Honestly, he's so damn clueless sometimes!"

Hikari didn't even have a chance to glance over to what had sparked this change in Asuka before the red head went dashing out of the classroom. She stared blankly towards the doorway as the sounds of startled students could be heard growing more distant by the second.

Asuka paid no mind to the bewildered looks on the students in the hallways as she made her way towards the roof of the school. She didn't know why she was so annoyed, but she needed an outlet, and she knew just where to find one.

As expected, Asuka saw the hunched over forms of the three stooges at the railing overlooking the back of the school campus where the track and pool were. She didn't know what they could possibly be up to together that would take them to the roof, but she was sure it was no good. The stooges were always up to no good, and breaking the routine like this could only mean an escalation.

"Hey, Shinji!" Asuka shouted from the doorway she had been standing in.

Shinji and the others all turned their heads to look back at who had called him and showed no surprise at seeing Asuka. To Asuka, however, it was more than that. They weren't just not surprised, they were completely disinterested in her arrival at their usual spot.

"Oh, hey Asuka," Shinji said.

Asuka's eye twitched involuntarily at Shinji's response. He sounded bland, even for his standards. This wasn't the tone of someone depressed, or regressed. It was the tone of someone completely uninterested. Asuka's instincts were set to kill, but something held her back. Instead, she raised the bento in her hand and waved it by its napkin.

"Forget something?" she asked, almost cynically.

"Oh, my lunch," Shinji said while reaching for the bento.

Asuka pulled the bento back before Shinji could grab it. Shinji's face came forward as he missed, and Asuka leaned in close to give him a death glare.

"Don't think for one second that you're slick, Third Child," she said.

"Eh?" Shinji wasn't sure what he could have done to get Asuka so worked up. Her words, and the use of 'Third Child' also meant that whatever it was, got her mind really working on it. "What is it?" he asked dumbly.

Asuka growled. Of course he was going to play dumb. Asuka should have expected as much. Shinji may have been stupid, but he wasn't suicidal. He wouldn't admit to her, up front, that he was gloating to his friends about what had happened yesterday. Asuka was about to begin her attack when a shadow suddenly loomed over her. Shinji and the others were all staring blankly at whomever had appeared behind her.

"Huh?" Asuka turned to see two tall men in black suits and sunglasses. They were agents from Section 2, and their appearance usually meant it was time for some action, but there were no alarms going off.

"Mr. Suzuhara," one of the men said while fixing his sunglasses. "It's time."

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:12**

**- I Will Persevere -**

* * *

Toji sat silently in the male pilot locker room. He was anticipating the coming test, trying to remain calm. Tests were certainly nothing new to him, but for the first time, he was genuinely concerned with the outcome. This test was the first one he wanted to pass.

He wasn't sure how it was going to. He had never done simulation activation tests before. He would just have to draw on his past experiences, and hope it was close enough to the real thing.

Toji leaned back against the lockers and stared blankly at the clock. Over an hour had already passed, which meant he had at least another hour until he was done. That's one thing he hated about activation tests. He wasn't sure why, but there were long hours of preparation compared to just synch tests. He only hoped they had done most of the preparations before summoning him and Rei for testing.

Rei had gone in first, leaving Toji to his thoughts. He wondered how Shinji handled the long stretches of waiting before doing these kinds of things involving synchronization. At least before, at his last tests, he and Shinji were both in the locker room, and could chat. Before then though, Shinji did this in solitude for over a year. It baffled Toji that Shinji had spent so much time in lonely silence like this.

"Then again, he probably just enjoyed the break from Asuka," Toji mused out loud.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato watched with her arms crossed as the staff in the control room aborted the test for the third time. Like the previous two, this one had failed at the second stage, which to Misato's limited knowledge, meant that there was no compatibility between Rei and Unit-03.

"Alright, shut it down," Ritsuko ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am" Maya acknowledged.

While the staff busied themselves with the shutdown sequence, Misato took note of what was going on. In the bustle of activity, Ritsuko was oddly calm while she wrote down her notes.

During the tests, she didn't seem to be at all surprised at the results. In fact, it almost seemed like she was expecting Rei's tests to turn out this way. This confused Misato, as Ritsuko was usually so tense during these activation tests. This should have especially been the case today, because they were short on Evas and able pilots. They couldn't afford having Toji fail as well.

"Shutdown complete," Maya reported.

"That will be all Rei," Ritsuko said into the intercom.

"Yes, ma'am," Rei answered.

"Retrieve the test plug for extraction and reset the system for Toji," Ritsuko ordered.

"Roger, beginning extraction." Maya answered while punching in the commands on the console.

Misato watched the test plug emerge from the LCL pool. It looked like a twisted nightmare compared to the sleek, pristine design of the ordinary plugs. Instead of the usual smooth white surface, the test plug had numerous thick cables jacked into along its sides, and coiled around it. These cables fed into the simulation core that was hanging underneath like an artificial heart.

The pair rose up to the catwalk above out of view where Rei would be extracted.

"How long until we're ready for Toji," Misato asked.

"Not long," Ritsuko answered. "Once the system's all set up, reconfiguring is a pretty quick process. You can go ahead and call him in."

"You got it," Misato replied.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka and Shinji walked home in relative silence after school ended. The rest of the day after Toji and Rei left for their activation tests had seemed to drag by, and Asuka didn't really remember much of it. What she did remember though, was how distant Shinji seemed to be during the afternoon. It was one thing for Shinji to be quiet. That was normal. Now, however, he seemed to be closing himself from the world entirely.

It frustrated Asuka whenever Shinji seemed to get lost in his little world. She wondered why he did it. Why did he take things so personally when it came to others piloting? He was so unlike her. Where she relished in being an Eva pilot, Shinji viewed it more of a burden, albeit one he carried so others wouldn't.

The pair continued in silence on their usual route. As usual, Asuka was a few steps ahead while Shinji followed at pace with his eyes on the ground. To the people around them, they gave no impression that they lived together, or even knew each other. This didn't necessarily bother Asuka, although appearing to be alone caused all manner of dumb boys to approach her. Nothing annoyed her more than an overconfident jerk thinking they can land any girl they set sights on.

As if on cue, Asuka spotted a trio of boys take notice of her and give knowing looks. After a couple playful nudges, the tallest of the group began to approach with his two cronies in tow. Asuka wasn't in the mood for even the slightest obstruction, however, and took immediate action.

Without a word, Asuka reach behind her and took Shinji's hand. Before Shinji could protest, Asuka pulled him down a side street towards the commerce district and away from now disgruntled boys. At this time, Shinji was able to recollect himself and reassume pace with Asuka.

Even though Asuka hadn't said anything, Shinji knew what had just happened. He caught sight of the boys before being spun around down the side street, and understood why Asuka had suddenly taken his hand like she did. This wasn't the first time Asuka had used such a tactic to avoid the advances of people she categorized as perverts. If this was anything like the past times though, it also meant Asuka was particularly surly at the moment. He decided it was best to not cause the typical conflict this time, as the day had already been too strange for his tastes.

"Hey, Asuka, you can let go now," he said

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Asuka replied. She kept her face forward as she spoke, and continued to march at a brisk pace. She had been pre-occupied with her frustrations over Shinji's behavior and had already forgotten about the boys they had just avoided.

"My hand," he said. "You don't have to worry about those guys anymore."

"Hmph" was the only response Asuka gave. Naturally, Shinji figured she was blowing off steam over the guys they had just avoided. To his bewilderment, however, she was still gripping his hand rather tightly. He knew the longer this went on, the worse the repercussions would be when Asuka finally got it all together. He decided it was best to face things now.

"Hey, it's not all that bad," he said.

"What's that?" Asuka asked sharply.

Shinji paused for a moment before speaking. He didn't want to say anything foolish when Asuka's tongue was this sharp. "Those boys," he said, finally. "There's no need to worry about them."

At the mention of the boys, Asuka stopped walking and snapped her head around to glare at Shinji. She couldn't believe how dense he could be sometimes.

"What makes you think this has anything to do with those stupid boys?" she asked.

Shinji's mind went into red alert, but was at a loss on where to go now. All he could think of were blanks, and that was not good at a time like this.

"Uh..." Shinji squeaked. His body was starting to go numb from anticipation of his doom.

"Well?" Asuka demanded an answer. She pulled Shinji in close so their faces were a mere inch apart and glared fire into his eyes. She could smell the body wash he used. She didn't understand why, but she calmed ever so slightly in response to his scent, but didn't relent.

Shinji was officially trapped. His eyes were locked into Asuka's terrorizing glare, and he didn't dare look away. Asuka's grip was now hot around his hand while the rest of his body felt like ice. On top of it all, Asuka's overwhelming scent of flowers and fruit was making him dizzy. He did the only thing he could. He relied on instinct.

"I don't know..." he said feebly.

Asuka groaned and turned back around.

"Oh, forget it," she said in defeat. She knew he'd never get it.

With Shinji's hand still gripped firmly in hers, Asuka took stock of their situation. They had gone a good couple blocks off course, leaving them a fair distance away from home. At this point, she was starting to get hungry, and didn't think she'd make it all the way home and then however long it took Shinji to prepare something. Instead, she decided it was a better idea to just continue in their current direction and get something to eat before turning back.

"Hey, you hungry?" Asuka asked.

"Uh, I guess," Shinji answered.

"Let's go get something to eat," Asuka said. She continued to walk and pulled on Shinji's hand behind her, although her grip had loosened finally.

Shinji didn't follow Asuka's lead and stood in place against Asuka's urges. "Oh, I can just cook us something back home," he said.

"Oh just come on!" Asuka ordered. Her voice was threatening enough to shock Shinji into obedience and he followed her command without further protest.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Toji took deep breaths as he prepared for the testing to begin. He gripped the control sticks tightly and then released them in rhythm to his breaths. He knew he had to relax, but as the moment of truth came closer, his mind seemed to flood with more and more thoughts. This was it. His first true test as a pilot. This was so he could get an Eva of his own.

"Alright, Toji," Ritsuko's voice came in over the comm. "We're ready to begin when you are."

"I'm ready," he said, trying to be as assertive as possible.

"Acknowledged," came Ritsuko's response. "Prepare to initiate the test."

Toji sat back and exhaled deeply. He closed his eyes and focused on the conversation going over the comm. as the testing sequence began. As the nerve connections began to run, he felt the familiar sensation of linking with an Eva, but this time it was different. It was cold, and felt hollow. He couldn't quite understand what it was that was different, but decided it was because it was a simulation, and not the real thing.

Shoving his questions aside, Toji focused as more connections came online, and the link became stronger. It now resembled something almost tangible in his mind. It was something he could see, feel, and hear.

This was very different from when he had attempted to sync with Unit-02, but again, he brushed his questions aside. He focused on what he saw in his mind. It was nearly formless, almost resembling a ball, except it wasn't solid. It seemed to pulse a faint sound, like a heartbeat, and it became louder as he approached it in his mind. When he felt as if he was upon it, the ball surrounded him.

Toji tensed as the cold, strangely empty presence surrounded him. It was very similar to an Eva, but lacked any true feeling. What he felt, was stranger than anything he had experienced before.

The hollow cold loomed over Toji like the blank stare of a doll. Toji gazed back with his mind's eye. At that moment, he let himself go. The thumping of the presence echoed in his ears, in rhythm to his own heart. He felt the cold enter his body, and then share his warmth. While still hollow, this presence now wrapped around him like a blanket, and became one with him.

* * *

-** x -**

* * *

"Synchronization successful," Maya reported. "Tolerance is well within acceptable limits."

"That's it then," Ritsuko said. She flipped the page on her clipboard and scribbled some notes. "The pilot for Unit-03 will be Toji Suzuhara."

"Just like last time," Misato noted.

"Yes, just like last time," Ritsuko replied plainly.

"That doesn't seem to surprise you," Misato said. She was still bothered by Ritsuko's behavior.

"Neither outcome would have surprised me, Major," Ritsuko answered. Her use of Misato's rank meant she was all business now. "Activation tests never do."

Misato didn't say anything further, leaving Ritsuko to her duties. The doctor looked over the graphs with Maya and had several parameters tested before finally being satisfied with the simulation.

"Alright, Mr. Suzuhara, that will be all," she said through the comm. "Congratulations. You've been selected as the pilot for Unit-03."

"That's great!" came Toji's upbeat reply. He was obviously pleased with the results.

"Prepare for extraction," Ritsuko said. "Once you're out, you can go ahead and wash up and head home. We'll discuss things further tomorrow."

"Okay," Toji replied.

Ritsuko turned off the intercom and supervised the extraction process. She would need time to go over the data they had collected in order to prepare for the real activation test, but that could wait. She had to speak to Misato before she left, and she had already turned on her heels.

"Major," she said sternly.

Misato stopped and turned to look at the woman who was at times her best friend, and others, what she might consider a potential threat. There were a lot of lines they could and did cross in their lines of work, and she could never be sure how bad things were, or could get.

"We need to discuss something," Ritsuko said. "It's about Shinji."

Misato nodded quietly and swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew it was only a matter of time, but was still unprepared for what had to be done.

"I understand," she said.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji glanced upwards as a gust of wind blew past where he and Asuka were sitting. To his surprise, Asuka had chosen a simple noodle shop for their dining destination, but he had no complaints. Any time he didn't have to cook, save for when Misato dared to try, was a blessed meal for him. They had just started eating when the gust got his attention and a thought dawned on him.

"The tests must be done by now," he said.

"Mmm?" Asuka mumbled her question while sucking in a mouthful of noodles.

"The activation tests," he elaborated. "They must know who's going to pilot Unit-03 by now."

"Oh," Asuka replied. She hadn't given the tests any thought at all since they turned away from their walk home. She now found herself becoming slightly agitated again at Shinji's continued focus on it.

"I wonder who," Shinji started to talk, but was immediately cut off by Asuka.

"Can you stop?" she asked.

"Stop? What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"This," Asuka gestured at him with her open hand.

"Huh?" Shinji didn't understand what Asuka was trying to show him.

"This," Asuka repeated, now letting her agitation show. "What you're doing right now."

"But I'm just," Shinji began to answer, but was again cut short.

"You're still doing it," Asuka interjected.

Shinji didn't speak, but continued to look at Asuka in utter confusion.

Asuka could see that Shinji still didn't grasp what was going on, but she didn't blame him. She wasn't really sure why he annoyed her to this point without even really doing anything, but he had. Something wasn't right between them at this very moment. That's what she felt, deep down inside. She wasn't sure about anything at the moment, so she just went with her gut feeling.

"Wondering about who's been chosen as the pilot isn't going to change anything," she explained. "So just don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried," Shinji defended. At least, he didn't view himself as being worried. He didn't feel any anxiety over the outcome of the tests.

"But you are," Asuka insisted. "You're worried about something out there, when we're right here."

Shinji blinked at Asuka's words. He didn't really get what she was saying had to do with anything. He did have to admit, however, that Asuka was more of a "here and now" person than he was. She didn't seem all that concerned with the future, which showed in her tendency to act without planning.

"So just forget about all that," she urged him. "There'll be plenty of time to worry about piloting, and fighting, and surviving later. For now, isn't this enough?"

Shinji had to contemplate Asuka's words for a moment. He was still confused over what had gotten Asuka so worked up, but had to admit that he shouldn't always dwell so much on the future and intangibles in his life. That's just what he naturally did out of habit. He always did envy Asuka in a way. She could be so care free at times. He guess it couldn't hurt to try to let go at times.

"Of course it's enough," he said. It was strange, but at that moment, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

Asuka turned her head to look at Shinji. He had just genuinely surprised her with those words. Maybe he wasn't so helpless after all.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

All was calm on board the UN carrier Kronprinz Wilhelm. It was on yet another routine transport mission for Seele, its third for that year, to its base on the coast of China. The crew didn't know what they were transporting on these long two month missions. They only knew the work was easy, and the pay was good. These missions were the cream of the crop for military personnel with top secret clearance.

The crew was enjoying their usual night of R&R on one of the calmest nights on open water they'd ever experienced. Most of the crew was completely free of any worries, sharing stories of their exploits, and ambitions for the future. In world that most viewed as being bleak, and war torn, these soldiers were in high spirits.

The captain, along with a skeleton crew remained on the bridge, manning the few stations needed to keep the ship on its course. Unlike the rest of the crew, he knew what it was they were transporting. He knew what was at stake if that knowledge escaped the shape, or if they failed their delivery. That's why he was never with his men when they were partying. That's why the legend was that he had no heart. He was okay with that, though. Better that his men made up stories instead of speculating about their cargo.

"Status report," he ordered.

A man stationed at a console at the front of the bridge checked his various displays. "All stations operating as they should, captain," he said. "Nothing on our sonar or radar. Clear water. Clear skies."

"Very good," the captain said. It was business as usual. He had gotten used to the nothingness out there. Day after day, they traveled across the ocean without any strange readings, but the captain never let his guard down. In light of what he was transporting, however, he should have known his guard was useless.

A faint rumbling echoed through the bridge, followed by creaks along the hull. Such sounds were normal out on the ocean, but they were currently on calm waters.

"Lieutenant," he asked in regards to the noises.

"Water's gotten a little choppy," he reported. "Nothing on our instruments."

The hull creaked louder as the ship shifted on the surface of the water, forcing the bridge crew to brace themselves ever so slightly. The captain didn't feel comfortable with the sudden change in the conditions of the water, especially with no signs of weather in the sky.

"Double check those screens," he ordered.

"Sir."

The lieutenant turned his full attention to the monitors for radar and sonar. He used the switches and keyboards to tweak their settings, and look for possible stealth crafts. All monitors showed nothing but blank space.

"Still reading clear," he reported.

The captain exhaled slowly and turned to return to his chair when a blip sounded from the front console.

"Got something sir," the lieutenant reported suddenly.

The captain froze where he stood and listened closely. His whole body was suddenly tense at the mention of there being something out there.

"Reading one object in the water," the lieutenant said. He watched the blip on his monitor, making note of how far it moved between sweeps. What he saw wasn't good. "Approaching rapidly!"

"Red alert!" the captain ordered. "All crews to battle stations!"

"Sir!" the lieutenant confirmed before hitting the red alert button.

Sirens blared throughout the ship, and the halls were immediately filled with the echoes of footsteps and men shouting. The hull creaked ever louder each passing second, and the ship began to shift back and forth violently.

The captain had to catch himself against a railing as the ship continued to thrash about. He didn't dare let go.

"Report!" he shouted.

"Object is directly below us," the lieutenant reported. He watched the blip nearly at the center of his monitor, when it suddenly shut off. The lights blinked several times as the sound of crunching metal boomed through the ship. When all power was lost, the captain knew it was over.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Fuyutsuki was alone in the room overlooking Gendo Ikari's when the phone on the desk rang..

"This is Fuyutsuki," he said.

Fuyutsuki listened closely to what was being said through the phone. He had nothing to say, but nothing had to be said. All he had were questions.

"You're sure," he asked quietly. He remained as calm as possible. After a short answer, he sighed under his breath. "Understood."

He hung up the phone and turned from the window that allowed him to observe Gendo Ikari. A lot had happened the past few days, and he was really hoping today would have gone without anything of note. They had almost made it, but that phone call changed everything. He was ill prepared for the events that were unfolding. All the knowledge he had paled in comparison to Gendo's, and even he had been short on answers.

"What happens now?" he asked quietly.

No answer came, of course. He had been alone for quite some time before the phone rang. He was just wondering out loud, hoping for an answer. He was hoping for a miracle.

While Fuyutsuki sat in silent contemplation, through the one-way mirror, unseen by him, Gendo's right hand twitched.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Nothing to report here. I can only explain away this long break to my stint in making youtube videos. I would like to thank all of the readers for making this my most read story. You have remained faithful, even during my long absenses.


	13. 1:13 Honor Thy Father

The sun had barely begun to rise over the horizon of the ocean as military copters swarmed the area where the Kronprinz Wilhelm had vanished. Little to know information was known about the attack, except where and when it happened. That was roughly five hours ago, and if their information was right, there was no trace left behind.

A man wearing sunglasses looked at the expanse of water through a pair of binoculars. He had been ordered here by Seele at 0100 hours Japan time, but he was from the Germany branch of Nerv. At this point, he was approaching the 24 hour mark, but he had a job to do. His training had prepared him to function at peak performance under worse conditions than this.

While the military present was concerned with locating possible remains of the ship, or its crew, this man was there for Seele's cargo. He looked closely through his special binoculars, which scanned for things beyond what eyes could see. Nothing. Not a single trace of debris from the ship, or the cargo. The scanner readings from the binoculars showed no signs of Eva or Angel activity either.

"Sir, we're completing our pass," the pilot said in English from the front of the helicopter. "Home base wants to know if you want to make another pass before coming back."

"No, that'll be fine," he replied in English with a German accent. "Is there anything to report from the other search parties."

"The lines are full of chatter, but nothing so far," the pilot reported.

"Understood," he answered sternly.

The pilot swung the helicopter around and started the flight back to home base, an aircraft carrier just on the horizon. As they began their approach, the agent noticed the other search helicopters making passes in a search pattern as well as several smaller ships.

"So what do you think happened?" the pilot asked.

"I'm under orders, pilot," he said coldly. It always annoyed him when the people he had to deal with tried to have small talk.

"Understood, sir," the pilot said. He knew not to pry into the business of someone sent by Nerv. There were so many stories about what happened to people that did, he knew at least some of them had to be true.

The Nerv agent sat calmly as the pilot brought their helicopter in for a landing on the UN aircraft carrier. He wasn't expecting anything to turn up during their search, and was already figuring out what he was going to report to his superiors. He had a suspicion that this assignment had only just begun.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:13**

**- Honor Thy Father -**

**By: OmegaGear**

* * *

"Developments are not proceeding in our favor," Seele-02 noted as the council met through their usual monoliths.

"We could have never foreseen these events," Seele-04 said. "The board has been filled with new players."

"But how many new players?" Seele-05 asked. "How many unknowns do we face?"

"It doesn't matter," Seele-01 insisted. He could sense the discontent amongst his peers, even through the blank slates of black metal. He couldn't afford any weakness now. He had to lead the way through strength and his example. He had to hang on.

"Until we learn more about this new entity, and whatever caused the disappearance of the Kronprinz Wilhelm, our efforts should be focused on our plans," he explained.

"And how do we proceed?" Seele-10 asked. "We just lost the last package."

"There are many more where that came from," Seele-07 said. "We had always planned on losing a few."

"But we had also never planned on building more than the original twelve," Seele-06 cautioned. "How many can we afford to lose?"

"And what do we do if another is lost?" Seele-10 asked another question. "What if this attack repeats itself?"

"More will come to replace those that are lost," Seele-01 said. "However, a shepherd must be mindful of his flock. Measures must be taken to ensure the safety of future shipments."

"How do you plan to provide that kind of safeguard? We don't even know what caused the ship to disappear," Seele-06 asked.

"The first step will be to discover the nature of the disappearance," Seele-01 explained. "If there is a repeat occurrence, we will be there."

A light appeared at the center of the meeting chamber to reveal the Seele agent that had investigated the disappearance of the Kronprinz Wilhelm.

Kraus stood up straight with his hands crossed behind his back. He still hadn't gotten any sleep, but it didn't bother him. Once this meeting was finished, he'd enjoy a moment of rest on the flight home.

"Agent Kraus," Seele-01 acknowledged the man. "Do you understand your orders?"

"Yes sir," he answered.

"Very well," Seele-01 said.

"Return home and report to Nerv-03 immediately," Seele-01 said. "All of the information will be provided for you upon arrival."

"Understood," Kraus said. He wanted to ask questions now, but knew no answers would come.

"You are dismissed," Seele-01 said.

The light revealing Kraus shut off, leaving the chamber to the circle of tablets. There was a brief moment of speculative silence, before 02 asked what the others wanted to.

"So what exactly are you having Agent Kraus do?" He asked 01. "And why were we not informed?"

"There wasn't enough time to discuss the matter with you to meet the schedule," Seele-01 explained. He had been prepared to face this scrutiny.

"That doesn't answer the first question," Seele-02 pointed out.

"You needn't worry about such trivial matters," Seele-01 said. "Agent Kraus is to gather information on the disappearance of our cargo. That is all."

"If it was something so simple, why not inform us?" Seele-08 asked.

"As I said before, there was no time to discuss in order to meet the schedule," Seele-01 said.

Seele-01 was met with silence. He suspected that many of his colleagues, maybe even all of them, were unsatisfied with his answers, but there was nothing else to say. He made an executive decision, simple as that.

"Further discussions about Abel can wait," he said. "Now, we must discuss the matter of Unit-03 and 04."

"Unit-04's development at Nerv-04 continues on schedule," Seele-05 beamed. He was obviously proud to report his side of operations wasn't blundering in spite of the recent events.

"Which was to be expected," Seele-03 said. "However, what is the status of its pilot?"

Seele-05 was silent for a moment, his thunder stolen. Finally, he said "pilot selection is in its first stages."

"Speaking of pilots," Seele-02 cut in, "Unit-03's selection is… interesting."

"Indeed," Seele-01 said grimly. He did not like the indications of Unit-03's pilot selection at all.

"It is unlikely a coincidence," Seele-08 said. "Something like this had to have been done by design."

"Ikari… even now, his defiance is present," Seele-06 hissed. "We should have kept a closer eye on him."

"Yes…" Seele-09 agreed. "We never should have been so careless. Having Units 03 and 04 made in the United States wasn't enough."

Again, there was silence, but Seele-05 managed to appear more silent than the others, even as a black tablet.

"… and Unit-04…" Seele-07 repeated the thought that was in everyone's mind.

"What should we do about this situation?" Seele-02 asked.

"What can we do?" Seele-03 asked. "We agreed to cooperate with them."

"And we approved Unit-03's transfer to Japan," Seele-06 said.

"Nothing is ever set in stone," Seele-04 said. "We should all realize that now."

"But preliminary testing showed that our dummy system will not work with Unit-03," Seele-10 said.

"Without Japan's pilot, Unit-03 may not work," Seele-11 explained.

"Can we really afford to hand over Unit-03?" Seele-08 asked.

"Can we afford not to? The danger is currently surrounding Japan," Seele-02 said. "The current situation we have been presented with is unprecedented. Until now, we knew what we were up against. We cannot rely on what we know. We must prepare for the unknown."

"Even with the information Nagisa provided us with, we don't know what we're facing now," Seele-04 said.

"We must deliver Unit-03," Seele-07 said.

"I agree," Seele-02 said. "However, we should watch the events unfold closely. Do we have an accord?"

"Aye," said the members of Seele, save for one.

"I do not agree," Seele-01 said.

"Your objection is noted," Seele-02 replied, sounding rather spiteful, "but you do not have veto power here. No one does. We will proceed with our agreement with Nerv-01, and remain ever watchful."

With that said, the tablets vanished one after another, until only 01 was left floating alone. The leader of Seele's monolithic tablet said one word after the others had gone. "Fools."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji watched the passing landscape in relative silence as Misato drove him to Nerv HQ. It wasn't unusual for him to be taken to Nerv for no given reason, even if it meant missing school. He was so used to this happening he wasn't even paying attention to Misato uncomfortably explaining why she was taking him to HQ. He didn't care. It was most likely involving Eva piloting, so he was just getting ready to jump in again. His mind, however, was a million miles away. The long car ride to Nerv was the perfect time away from Asuka for Shinji to think about everything that had happened the past few days.

The past few days had gone a long way in stripping away the layers of shielding Shinji had spent his entire life building around himself. The revelations about Rei, Asuka's erratic behavior, and what had happened during the last battle. All of it had affected Shinji more than he was willing to admit to anyone. As usual, he had kept things to himself, and enclosed what he was feeling deep inside. His usual, didn't seem to be enough anymore. More-and-more, and could feel himself slipping in situations he wouldn't. He could feel his control over his deepest thoughts and desires breaking. What exactly those were, however, he wasn't sure. He spent so much of his life keeping everything bottled up inside, he wasn't really sure what it was he wanted anymore.

Shinji groaned as his mind wracked over everything. He couldn't believe it, but he actually found himself yearning for the way things were a year ago. Back then, he was able to simplify things down to piloting Eva, because he had to, and living with Asuka, because he had to. Now… he felt drawn to piloting; to do what others couldn't. He also felt drawn to Asuka, but that was a much more complicated subject. While he had always had affection for her, it had never been like this before. Shinji's mind completely wandered at some point, causing the rest of the trip to be a blur. One second they were just entering the tunnel leading down to the Geo Front, and the next the car had come to an abrupt stop at their destination.

"Well, here we are," Misato said, still sounding uncomfortable.

Shinji looked over to see through Misato's side of the car and was surprised to see that they had arrived at the hospital wing of Nerv HQ, and not the main entrance.

"What are we doing here?" he asked.

"Weren't you listening on the way here?" Misato asked back.

Shinji blinked, and tried to remember anything from the drive. He could not remember a thing.

"Sorry," he said. "I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"Oh well…" Misato thought about trying to explain the situation again, but decided they'd get to where they were going long before she could finish. They had finished exiting her car when she finally spoke again. "Well, you'll find out soon enough," she said.

"Oh…" Shinji trailed off and thought about what they could possibly be doing at the hospital. He suddenly realized he hadn't seen or talked to Toji since the tests yesterday. "Is it Toji? Did something happen during the tests?"

"Hmm?" Misato wondered why Shinji would ask that, but then remembered she hadn't gotten a chance to tell him or Asuka the results. Her mind had been completely occupied last night with what they were going to be doing right this moment.

"No, Toji's just fine," she said.

Shinji felt the tension in his body lesson slightly, but then thought of another person they could be coming here to see.

"Is it… Rei?" he asked as they walked through the doors and entered the hospital.

"No, it's not Rei either," Misato answered.

At hearing those words, Shinji calmed down, but was now confused about their presence at the hospital. Everyone he could be coming here to see was just crossed off the list.

"Then who?" he asked.

Misato sighed as they entered the elevator and started their ascent to the fourth floor. She had already explained everything one time, which was nerve wracking enough. Now he wanted to a two minute abridged version.

"Shinji…" Misato spoke slowly. She knew she had to choose her words carefully. "It's your father. He's not well."

Shinji took a step back and pressed against the back of the elevator. The doors slid open and he stared down the empty hallway.

"My… father?" he asked.

The hallway ahead seemed to spin. Shinji could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and a cold sweat on his forehead. Everything in his mind went blank at the realization he was here to see his father. The void was then filled by his instincts, which had come to regard his father as a focus of hatred. Shinji sub consciously clenched his hand into a fist, and his face had turned to a slight scowl.

Misato was oblivious to Shinji's change and continued to talk as they walked down the hall. When she stopped them at the door leading to Shinji's room, he just stared blankly.

"Good morning, Major," Ritsuko said as she exited the room next to the one they had been standing in front of.

"Good morning," Misato replied.

"Does Shinji understand what's going on?" she asked. Ritsuko hardly thought the question was necessary though, once she saw Shinji's face.

"I'm not sure," Misato answered. She looked over at the boy in question. She was surprised to see his suddenly angered face.

"He wasn't paying attention on the way here, but I guess he got that last message," she said.

"I see," Ritsuko said. "Well, we don't really have a plan for today's visit, so why don't we just let him in."

Misato reached for Ritsuko's arm as the doctor turned to enter the room she came from. She leaned in close and whispered to her friend.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked. "Shinji doesn't look too happy about this."

"That was to be expected," Ritsuko said. "But we have to do this."

"Why?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko sighed. "You know as well as I do that we have orders to follow," she said. "I have my orders, and you have yours."

With that, Ritsuko pulled her arm free from Misato's hold and looked at her.

"You'll find an update on Unit-03 waiting for you in your office, Major," she said before closing the door.

Misato sighed and opened the door to Gendo's room. She had a thousand questions swirling around in her head, but had to admit defeat, for now. She'd worry about the situation with Gendo after Unit-03's activation test, and take care of Shinji when he was ready to talk.

"Go in, Shinji," she said.

Shinji stepped into the room without a word. The door closed behind him with a loud click. He slowly looked around the room. It was completely empty, except for a single hospital bed in the center surrounded by monitoring equipment. Beside the bed was a single, empty seat. Shinji felt like he was having an out of body experience. He imagined this is what it must have looked like to everyone else when he was in the hospital.

Slowly, Shinji walked towards the bed. Each step echoed in the mostly empty room. Every step closer he got, his vision seemed to blur along with his own thoughts. Everything in his head was being dominated by instinct that had developed from years of neglect and abuse. By the time he reached the side of the bed, Shinji's mind was a complete mess of fragmented thoughts and emotions.

On the other side of the glass overlooking Gendo's room, Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki were watching Shinji's behavior closely. They weren't sure how Shinji would react, given his history with his father. Most importantly, they didn't know how Gendo would react, or if he was even together enough to comprehend that Shinji was there. This was a necessary step, however. No matter what it cost, they needed the information in Gendo's head, if they couldn't recover the man himself.

On the table in front of the two, were monitors displaying several angles of the room, as well as Gendo's vitals. Ritsuko was watching the vital signs closely while Fuyutsuki kept his eyes forward on the window. Both of them were deathly silent as they watched.

Shinji didn't sit down next to Gendo. Instead, he stood by the bed and slowly glanced down at the man he had longed for approval from for nearly his entire life. His father was lying there, asleep. He didn't know what had caused him to be in the hospital, but he also didn't particularly care. It's not like Gendo ever cared that his actions were putting him in the hospital. The only indication of harm was the gauze wrapped around his right hand.

Shinji looked back up at his father's face, and felt the mess of emotions and memories in his mind explode. After years of feeling unwanted, and cheated, and abused, that desire for acceptance had ultimately brought disappointment, and fostered a burning hatred in its place. The fragments in his mind pieced together into this hatred as he saw his father's face.

The memories of the past year and a half came flooding back to Shinji. His shattered hopes of winning his father's approval flashed before his eyes; his father's use of him as a tool to destroy Unit-03 and nearly kill his friend Toji; the deception involving Rei, his mother, and all of the unanswered questions. All of these things were because of his father. All of these things were because of the man that now lay defenseless before him.

Shinji then remembered how he had felt after the incident with Unit-03, and he had regained control of his Eva. He remembered the fire in his arms that he wanted to use to crush his father. This same rage flowed through his chest, and he found himself clenching his hands into fists. He was thinking of how easy it would be to just do it now, with no one else there to stop him.

At that moment, Gendo opened his eyes. His empty stare looked back into Shinji's hate filled eyes. Shinji snarled at that look, but soon realized it wasn't the same disinterested look he had been given in the past. This look seemed to be completely devoid of anything, and it acted like a bucket of ice water splashing his face. At the same time, Gendo's brain clicked on, and he realized who it was he was seeing. Gendo, however, was nowhere near mentally stable, and jumped out of his bed, away from his son.

When Gendo leapt out of his bed, he pulled the equipment with him until the instruments either ripped off his skin, or tumbled to the ground. Either way, they were no longer recording his life signs or brain activity. Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki had to rely on what they saw and heard from this point. The doctor was furiously scribbling notes on her pad as Gendo gasped and cried incoherently while shuffling backwards until he was in the far corner.

Shinji stepped back and looked at his hands that he was just thinking about using to strangle another person. His hands were trembling from the mere thought of doing something so distasteful. That he could actually consider it, scared Shinji. He had always wanted to avoid harming others, and all of sudden, his instincts had just told him to do just that. He was now stricken with fear of himself as his father stared back at him with eyes wide with the same emotion.

Gendo had curled into a ball at the far corner, and was gasping like he was hyperventilating. Each short breath came out as a hysterical cry. The man who had once seemed an impenetrable fortress was now broken.

Shinji watched his father cower in the corner. He listened to the crazed mumbles. He couldn't believe that what he was witnessing was actually his father. He'd never seen his father lose the slightest bit of control, let alone completely fall apart. Seeing him now, he couldn't believe he had actually wanted this man's praise so badly. He couldn't help but pity the man before him, because it was his nature. He would not, however, forgive him.

Shinji didn't know why Misato and Ritsuko wanted him to be here today, but he had seen enough. He turned and left his father to exit the room.

On the other side of the glass, Ritsuko sighed while Fuyutsuki remained silent. After scribbling a few notes down, Ritsuko picked up the phone and called in some nurses and doctors to tend to the hysterical Gendo Ikari.

"So much for that idea," Ritsuko said.

"I knew it wasn't going to be good, but I never imagined it was going to be this bad," Fuyutsuki said.

"I can't even really tell you anything, sir," Ritsuko said, sounding disappointed. "The equipment was all detached from him once he responded to Shinji's presence."

"What does your medical training tell you?" Fuyutsuki asked.

The doctor stood in silent contemplation for a moment. Finally, she said "It tells me that the patient has suffered a severe mental breakdown, and responds negatively to his son. No plausible treatment."

Fuyutsuki stood of from his seat, causing to drag loudly on the ground. He crossed his hands behind his back and kept his gaze forward as the medical team entered Gendo's room and attempted to sedate him.

"Not good enough, doctor," he said.

"I know," she replied.

"At least he responded this time," he said as he turned to leave the observation room. "We'd be in worse shape if he remained the same as the past couple days."

Ritsuko followed Fuyutsuki out of the room and down the hall towards the corridors that lead to Nerv HQ. The two remained quiet as Ritsuko looked over her notes taken during Shinji's visit with Gendo. There wasn't much, but at least there was activity. It gave her something to work with, at least.

"How do you plan to proceed now, doctor?" Fuyutsuki asked as they passed through the security checkpoint between the hospital and Nerv.

"First, I'll see if Gendo will respond to questions," she said. "Now that his brain has clicked on, I'll see if it stays that way."

"If he does, how long before he can speak to Seele? They're already beating on the door."

"Are you asking when he'll be ready, or when Seele thinks he'll be ready?" she asked sarcastically.

Fuyutsuki didn't answer. The question being asked answered itself, in a way. Basically, it didn't matter how long it took Gendo Ikari to recover enough to face questioning. Seele would drag him before them much sooner than that.

"And what of Unit-03?" he asked. "Are you satisfied with the simulation results?"

"Yes," Ritsuko answered, somewhat glad to be on a different subject. "The results are in line with expectations."

"So it's just like before?" he asked.

"It would seem that way," she said. "You know, it's unlikely this has gone unnoticed by them."

At that comment, Fuyutsuki stopped walking. The thought had occurred to him that Toji's selection as the pilot of Unit-03 a second time would arouse attention, and most certainly suspicion. While there weren't any past examples to compare the situation with, Fuyutsuki knew that the old men weren't believers in coincidence. He would have to think over everything, and plan carefully.

The two were standing by large windows that overlooked the Geo Front, and the commander decided to take in the view. He looked to make sure they were alone, and then turned to face the large windows before speaking.

"You and I know a lot, doctor," he said quietly.

Ritsuko stood next to Fuyutsuki so that he wouldn't need to speak too loudly. She sensed that what he had to say was not for loose lips.

"Yet, as much as we know, Gendo knows so much more," he continued. "We were not privy to his meetings and activities with Seele. He actually read the Dead Sea Scrolls; interpreted them. It's that experience that allowed him to formulate his plan; a plan that has now failed. We now find ourselves facing Seele, and an unknown force equipped only with the knowledge he wanted us to have. We are at a severe disadvantage."

Ritsuko didn't say anything. There was nothing she could add to the conversation that would change anything, or bring new information. She knew their limitations as well as the new commander did.

"Whether we like it, or not, need Gendo Ikari," Fuyutsuki said.

"I'll do what I can."

"In the mean time, continue to prepare for Unit-03's activation," Fuyutsuki ordered. He was trying to sound sure of himself. "Take all precautions you feel are necessary to ensure its safety in our possession, and don't allow the Major to dispute anything."

"How far can I go, sir?" Ritsuko asked.

"Bring anything out of the ordinary to my desk," he said. "We can't leave anything off the table now."

"Understood," she replied and turned to leave.

"And Doctor," Fuyutsuki quickly stopped her.

Ritsuko stopped mid-step and turned to look back at the former sub-commander through the corner of her eye.

"One last thing," he said. "I want you research and report to me on Major Katsuragi. I need to know if we can trust her moving forward."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato showed little interest as she flipped through Ritsuko's report on Unit-03's pilot selection. It was filled with the usual jargon that made little sense to her. It spoke of compatibility, pilot psyche, and other medical details she'd heard plenty of times, but still didn't really understand. She only knew what was good, and what was bad. From the looks of things, Toji was in prime condition. In fact, his details reminded Misato of Asuka, when she first started piloting; motivated, and high energy.

While she was still curious about the results and Ritsuko's behavior during the tests, Misato also doubted she'd find any clues on the matter in the reports. More than likely, she'd have to just keep her eyes and ears open. If her suspicions were warranted, Misato believed Toji's development as a pilot would prove most interesting. And as usual, it made her wonder if there was more to piloting than Ritsuko and the others let on.

After finishing checking off the report on Toji's pilot selection, Misato got to the information on Unit-03. The Nerv-02 branch reported the Eva Unit was complete, and ready for transport. This wasn't news to Misato, since she'd been preparing for receiving the new Eva. It was a little ahead of schedule, but that was not a problem at all. The sooner Unit-03 arrived, the sooner she could begin investigating her theories. She also noted that its delivery method had been changed from sea to air. She could always count on Nerv to expedite operations whenever a threat loomed. She just hoped they didn't know something she didn't.

At that moment, Misato's phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

A familiar voice answered back, telling her they needed to meet. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach that this had to do with Unit-03's delivery.

"I understand," was all she said in response. She had to keep things short and simple when speaking with her informant.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji was stewing in his thoughts as he waited for the elevator. He hadn't been told to report to Misato or Ritsuko for anything after he was done with whatever it was he just did, so he decided he was just going to head home. It was still early in the day, but he was in no mood to suffer through class now.

The elevator doors opened with a ding, revealing the one thing that could have made the morning more confusing for Shinji. Rei Ayanami was standing in the elevator, in her usual spot, front and center. She glanced at Shinji with her almost emotionless red eyes.

"Oh, hey Rei," Shinji said sheepishly. He still wasn't sure how to act around her, now that he knew what she was.

"Ikari," she answered back. Her tone wasn't its usual cold emptiness. It sounded almost slightly surprised, but Shinji wasn't sure if he hadn't just imagined it.

"Is this your floor?" Shinji asked, hoping it was. He didn't want to have to ride the elevator with her. "I'm on my way down."

"Down is fine," she said softly.

Shinji scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. He was starting to feel trapped.

"Weren't you on your way to see my father?" he asked. He knew he was grasping at straws, but was desperate.

"The commander is not well?" Rei inquired.

"Oh… you didn't know," Shinji wasn't sure if he had just said something he wasn't supposed to. He realized that almost everything involving Nerv personnel was classified, especially if it involved the top ranking official being crazy.

"Yeah, he's on this floor," he confirmed, figuring he had already le the cat out. Rei being a pilot, he was sure it was okay for her to know the commander was in the hospital, but he was confused over it being a secret to her.

"I am not here for the commander," she said simply.

"Oh… then why are you here?" he asked.

"I came to see Doctor Akagi, but going down would be fine," she said.

"O… kay," Shinji said, surrendering.

Shinji had to squeeze past Rei to get into the elevator. While he always found it awkward getting around her, it was even weirder now. He always was afraid of brushing against her because he feared her response to such physical contact. That was then. Now, he was just afraid. He was afraid of what she was; who she was. He was afraid that everything he thought he knew about her was no longer real, and didn't want to face it.

Rei felt herself flush as Shinji passed by so closely. She made sure to be as still as possible, not wanting him to notice. Once he had gotten past her, she pressed the button for the ground floor and the doors closed.

As the elevator descended slowly, Shinji felt like the air was stuffier than usual. He was doing his best to remain calm, but could help but look at Rei and think about that moment Ritsuko revealed the truth to him. He didn't even know human cloning was possible before that day.

Rei kept her back to Shinji. She could feel his eyes on her, and didn't dare look back at him. She was still figuring out all of her memories from her past lives, and what they meant to her. Shinji was a prominent figure in many of them, and invoked some very strong emotions. She was not sure if what she should do with these emotions though. Part of her was very curious about this aspect of the mystery of her existence. She could have avoided this awkwardness had she continued her search for Doctor Akagi, but she felt compelled to instead accompany Shinji on his way out.

The two continued to stand in silence as the elevator hummed softly. Shinji felt like time was ticking by slower than usual. He started to notice all of the details of his current situation more vividly. The elevator was a perfect six by six foot square, leaving little space between him and Rei. The lighting was much brighter than the rest of the hospital. The walls were unpainted steel, a sharp contrast to the white walls that spread through the rest of the building. These were all details he had missed over the past year and some odd months. These were all of the things his frantic mind was taking note of to avoid any conscious thought about Rei.

"How is the commander?" Rei asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Shinji asked dumbly, he wasn't expecting her to speak.

"The commander. How is he doing?" Rei repeated.

Shinji considered how much he should tell her. He wasn't sure how much of his father's condition was common knowledge, or how much of it Rei would be allowed to know.

"He's not well," he said simply. He figured it wasn't lying, and it didn't give any details.

"That is… unfortunate," Rei said.

"Yeah, I guess," he replied. He didn't really have any strong feelings about it one way or another. While something deep within him was glad at his father's condition, he didn't like that part of himself. He needed someone to talk to about this kind of things, but didn't know if he could trust anyone with this kind of subject.

Again, the two returned to being silent, much to Shinji's relief. He didn't want to discuss his father ever, and especially not now. With his mind once again free to speculate on everything else in the elevator, he took notice on the smell of the air. The air, while stuffy, did not smell stale. He smelled something faintly sweet, like flowers. He looked at Rei, and was shocked at realizing it was probably her.

"Are you… wearing perfume?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered plainly. She was hiding her pleasure at it being noticed as best she could.

"I don't think I've ever noticed you wearing any before," Shinji said, although he regretted saying it the second it left his mouth. Remembering Rei's past lack of perfume only re-established in his mind that this was a different person.

"I didn't like the way I smelled," she explained.

"Why' that?" Shinji asked, hoping to shake his recent thoughts by continuing the conversation.

"I just didn't," she said. "It wasn't me."

"Oh…" Shinji groaned inside. He just couldn't get past what he knew about her.

"What do you think?" Rei asked. She hadn't noticed any of Shinji's discomfort.

"About what?" Shinji asked.

"My smell," Rei said bluntly.

"Oh well…" Shinji paused to think about it as best he could. It was definitely unique, and wasn't bad. It was very subtle, much like the old Rei's personality, which struck a blow to Shinji's heart. It was also a polar opposite to Asuka's strong fruity scent. Shinji wasn't sure why, but this was the best answer in his mind. "It's very… different from Asuka's," he answered finally.

Rei tensed at the mention of Asuka, and her face turned to a glare for a brief second. At the same time, the elevator shook gently, and the glass panel covering the floor indicator cracked.

"What was that?" Shinji asked. He looked up at the cracked glass. "An earthquake?"

Rei remained completely silent. She didn't want to talk to Shinji anymore.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

As the lunch bell rang, Asuka remained seated while the rest of the students got up to head to the cafeteria, or to meet with their friends. For once, Hikari had opted to eat with Toji instead of her, since the now official pilot was itching to tell her all about his accomplishment. Normally, Asuka would have argued with Hikari over this betrayal, but today she didn't feel the slightest bit bothered.

After a minute had passed, and everyone seemed to have settled into their lunch plans, Asuka finally got up. She took out the bento Shinji had prepared for her and quietly walked up to the roof, where the three stooges usually hung out. Not a soul was in sight, so Asuka to the spot and began to eat slowly while leaning against the railing.

Asuka was lost in thought as she ate. She had been scratching her head all morning, trying to figure out why Shinji was being dragged to Nerv, and not her. What really got her wondering though was how nervous Misato was when she pulled Shinji aside to tell him. Something about the whole thing didn't sit well with her, but she didn't have the faintest clue on what it could all be about.

"Need some company?" Hikari's voice asked from behind Asuka.

Asuka didn't turn to address her friend, and instead kept gazing off into the distance.

"Not really," she said.

Hikari walked up to Asuka's side anyways. She had heard enough of Toji's boasting, and noticed her best friend walking off at the start of lunch. She couldn't help but notice how sullen Asuka looked, and decided to see if she wanted to talk.

"Well, you look like you could," she pointed out.

"Is that so?" Asuka asked, not really interested.

"Is it Shinji?" Hikari asked, getting straight to the point. She was still trying to get a straight answer from Asuka about everything that had happened.

"Kinda," Asuka said.

"I see," Hikari said, trying not to sound excited. She felt like she was about to crack Asuka's shell.

"I was just wondering why he was taken to Nerv today, and not me," she said.

Hikari groaned. That was not the answer she was expecting, but it was definitely an Asuka answer; always having the mind on piloting. Still, Hikari noticed Asuka's tone was very subdued. It wasn't her usual spirited, suspicion talking. She felt there was definitely more going on.

"Are you sure that's all?" she asked.

Asuka didn't give an answer. She just stood there, leaning on the railing, staring off into the distance.

"Come on, Asuka," Hikari pleaded with her friend. "Why can't you admit it?"

"Admit what?" Asuka asked.

"How you feel about Shinji," Hikari stated. She knew it was risky to be so straight with her friend, but this was getting old. She believed it was impossible for two people to live together like that for so long and not develop some kind of feelings for each other. She could also see through most of her friend's behavior, and just wanted Asuka to stop hiding.

Asuka again, didn't answer. She was thinking about what her friend had said. There was something about those words that turned the gears in her head, but she couldn't come to a conclusion.

"It's written all over your face, Asuka," Hikari said, not allowing the redhead's silence to deter her. "You're gazing off like I used to."

Asuka thought about everything a moment longer, and stood up straight. In the past couple minutes, she had mulled over the past year she had spent living with Shinji. She thought about all the highs, and lows. She looked at how they were at the start, and how they were now. Things were different in subtle ways, but nothing big had ever really happened. Asuka realized a lot of it was because of direct actions she had taken. Realizing what she had been doing, Asuka sighed.

"I'm tired," she said.

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked.

Asuka wanted to tell her friend everything. She suspected that letting it all out would do her a world of good, but she couldn't bring herself to, not yet. She still wasn't sure about anything, and wanted some time to figure them out before talking.

"I'm just tired," she repeated.

_So damn tired of the way things have been going._ She thought.

"Oh…" Hikari was disappointed. She thought she was finally going to get an answer out of Asuka today. "Well, maybe you should go home, and get some rest, then."

Asuka could sense her friend's disappointment, and felt a little of her own. She did want to talk, but the time just wasn't right. She wondered if her friend sensed that as well, since it was unusual for her to suggest that someone leave school early. It was her duty as class rep to do exactly the opposite, but Asuka was grateful for the offer.

"Maybe I should," she said, in regards to going home.

Without another word, Asuka walked back into the school to get her things and head home.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:13**

**- Moving Forward –**

* * *

Misato sat at a small picnic table outside of Nerv HQ. She was poking her lunch while staying alert for any activity in her surroundings. There were a few other people scattered throughout the patio area, but none of them seemed suspicious. Of course, Misato knew better than to believe in that assessment. Seele clearly had spies at every branch of Nerv, but Misato had never heard of a single one ever being discovered. That was one reason she had to be more careful than ever. She didn't even have a hint of bread crumbs to follow.

At last, her informant, Hyuga, arrived. He was carrying a tray with his lunch along with a stack of papers. As he reached her table, Misato looked up.

"Falling behind at work, huh" she asked.

"Yeah," Hyuga chuckled. "With everything that's been going on, work just seems to be piling up."

"Tell me about it," Misato joked. She too had her own pile of work to address, although she could hardly focus on it like she should.

Hyuga laughed off her joke and sat down at the table behind her. He spread out some of his reports and pretended to read them as he start to eat slowly.

"A secret Nerv transport shipment disappeared off the coast of Japan last night," he whispered.

Misato could barely hear Hyuga, but knew he couldn't speak any louder.

"How secret?" she asked.

"Secret enough that there's no information on what it could have been," he answered. "All I can tell you is an aircraft carrier was transporting it."

"I hadn't heard about a military ship disappearing," she said in speculation. "I wonder how they managed to cover that up."

"It's not hard to when there was no radio message sent, or any signs of debris," Hyuga explained. "The only reason Seele and Nerv could tell it was missing was the trace beacon attached to their cargo. It'll be another day or two before any official channels catch wind of the news."

Misato pushed her half finished bento away and reached for her coffee.

"So I'm assuming this is why they're not shipping Unit-03 by ship," she said. She really had been hoping it was simply due to the battle they had just been through, and not something new.

"That's a safe bet," he answer.

Misato was silent the rest of her time at her table. She had a lot to think about: Unit-03's pilot, Shinji and his father, and now secret shipments and disappearing ships.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji got home just in time to eat a slightly late lunch. He took the bento he had prepared for himself out of the fridge and ate, all the while thinking about what had happened during the morning. He was really troubled over the state he had witnessed his father in. He'd never seen anyone go completely insane before, although he's had to endure hearing it before. He recalled when Asuka's mind snapped against the 15th angel. He had heard Asuka's cries, and was powerless to help. He had wondered what was going on in her mind back then, and found himself wondering about his father now.

Having finished his lunch, Shinji quickly washed his bento and set it out to dry. He decided he needed to clear his head, and had the rare privacy to play his cello.

He retrieved his cello from his room, and set it up so he was seated looking out the large windows overlooking the balcony. He then glanced through his sheet music books, and noticed the one he had purchased at the mall. He felt like something new, and he flipped through the book's pages, mentally playing out the first section of each song.

The selection of music was somewhat lacking, which didn't surprise Shinji too much. He accepted that the cello was usually an accompanying instrument, rather than the lead. He finally came upon a piece that had a much fuller part for the cello named "No Place Like home" from a TV show called "Lost". He hadn't seen or heard of the show before, but he didn't watch a lot of TV either.

Deciding on that piece, Shinji retrieved the accompanying CD and placed it into Misato's stereo. He then read the sheet music briefly to play it in his head. Feeling he was ready, Shinji used the remote to start the track. The piano started the introduction, giving him time to feel the tempo. The piece sounded sad, which surprised him, since it didn't sound that way in his mind. Shinji decided this was going to be interesting, and as the piano reached his entrance, he took a deep breath and began to play.

Shinji's cello sang out the notes to the piano's accompaniment. He swayed ever so slightly with each down stroke as he let the music pull him along. He read the music, but his mind was miles away, letting the music dictate his thoughts. He thought about the title of the piece, and how it related to him.

Shinji had never really thought about himself having a home while growing up. He had grown up feeling displaced with relatives, and sometimes even teachers. Even now, he didn't live with family, but he was closer to his guardian and roommate than he had ever been with anyone else. And while most people would cringe at being in his situation, he had come to call it home.

As the song continued, additional instruments joined. There was now a full string ensemble playing along with Shinji's cello. Shinji fed off of the energy of the strings, and out for feeling into his strokes. Through all of the noise, he isolated his own and focused on how it sounded, using it as a conduit for his own feelings. His life was crazier than ever, and danger seemed to threaten him and everyone around him even more than when the angels were attacking. At times like this, he was always glad to come back here with Misato and Asuka. There really was no place like home, although Shinji had never really realized it.

As the song winded down, Shinji plucked the last note and used vibrato as it faded. The result didn't sound right, and was a disappointing ending to what Shinji had otherwise thought was a good play through, especially for his first time. He made a mental note to just let the note play itself out next time.

The sudden sound of clapping from behind surprised Shinji. He turned around to see Asuka standing in the dining area.

"Oh, hey Asuka," he said.

"Very nicely done," she said.

"I didn't hear you come in. What are you doing home?" he asked.

"Oh, I just didn't feel like being in school the rest of the day," she answered while stretching.

"Don't you mean every day?" Shinji asked. He knew Asuka hated being in class even more than he did. He didn't blame her either, since she had a college degree already, and was just there to work on her Japanese.

"Pretty much," Asuka agreed. She joined Shinji in the living area and took a seat on the couch next to where Shinji was set up. "So what made you decide to play?" she asked.

"Oh, no reason really," he replied. He thought about it for a second. He really had no other reason except that he had expected to be alone for a few hours. "I guess I just felt like it."

"Well, you certainly were playing with feeling," Asuka said.

"Thanks," Shinji said with a chuckle. He wasn't used to being praised when it came to his music. "But I think I messed up the ending."

"How do you mean?" Asuka inquired.

"Well, this last note," he said while picking up the sheet music. "I didn't sound good with the vibrato."

"Well, live and learn," Asuka said.

"Yeah…" Shinji was a little surprised the conversation was going so smoothly. Asuka didn't take offense at his questions, and even let his self proclaimed mistake go by without even the slightest barb.

_Maybe she's sick, or something happened at school._ He thought to himself.

"So, did anything happen at school?" he asked.

"Not really," Asuka answered quickly. "Just the same old, boring lectures."

"Oh," Shinji replied. He had been hoping for something a little more insightful than that. He glanced over to his roommate, and couldn't help but notice how she was looking at him. It was the strangest look. There wasn't any specific emotion behind it, but her attention was definitely focused on him. He was starting to feel like he was under a microscope.

"Are you sure nothing else happened?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" she asked back.

"Well, you just seem a little different," he said.

"Different, you say," she said in open contemplation.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," he explained. He didn't want her getting angry.

"Different," Asuka repeated. She thought about the conversation she had had with her friend during lunch, and what she had thought about on the walk home. She had spent so much of her time and energy trying to be the same person she thought she needed to be. She had tried desperately to keep things the same they had always been, and that's how things had fallen apart. The past few days she had unknowingly taken a few actions to the contrary, and those seemed to feel so right.

"Maybe I want to be different," she said.

_What is with her? _Shinji wondered. _She's not giving any straight answers._

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh, you know… change," she said.

"I guess I understand," Shinji said. It was true, he was also seeking to change.

The two were silent after that. After a minute without conversation, Shinji got up and started to put away his cello.

_I hate these silences._ Asuka thought. She watched Shinji put away his cello when an idea clicked in her mind.

"Say, Shinji, why don't you play your cello more often?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't want to bother everyone with my playing," he said matter of factly.

"It's no bother," Asuka insisted. "Your playing is very soothing."

"Well, I also don't really deal with audiences well," Shinji admitted. He had always hated performing in front of people. He was afraid of screwing up.

"I can understand that," Asuka said. "But it's not like I'm a stranger."

"I guess you have a point there," Shinji agreed. "But, I don't know…"

"Oh, come on, why not?" Asuka asked. She didn't think he could have another excuse.

"I don't know… I've just always been private about my music," Shinji explained.

"Well, that's a damn shame," Asuka said. "Alright, Third Child, I'll make you a deal."

"A deal?" Shinji didn't like the sounds of this. Any deals or ideas Asuka came up with usually meant he got the short end of a stick.

"That's right," Asuka said. She pointed at him. "You agree to practice your cello more…" She then pointed at herself with her thumb, "and I'll accompany you on my violin."

"The violin, you?" was all Shinji could say. He was completely shocked by the very notion that Asuka played an instrument.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Asuka asked with a glare.

"Uh, nothing," Shinji said quickly. He felt like the room was getting warmer. "It's just that, you've never ever played the violin since moving here, and that was over a year ago."

"Well, I'm coming out of retirement, just for you," Asuka said smugly. "You should be honored to receive such a deal."

Shinji was silent while he mulled it over. He was really apprehensive about playing his cello in front of Asuka, but he was also very curious about her violin. The two instruments were natural partners, covering completely different ranges, unlike the violin and viola, which shared a lot of their ranges together.

"I don't know… are you sure?" he asked, hoping for an out.

"Yup," was Asuka's simple reply. She had a rather proud smile on her face, as if her victory was assured.

"Well… I've never played with anyone before," Shinji made up an excuse. It was true, but he was still using it as a scapegoat.

"All the more reason to accept my offer," Asuka said. "I even have the sheet music for the piece you just played. We can go ahead and play right now!"

"Right… now?" Shinji suddenly felt cold. He felt the largest lump ever forming in his stomach. He was now trapped.

"Yeah, I'll go get my violin," Asuka said before leaping off of the couch. "Just give me a minute to tune it!"

Asuka quickly ran off to her room, leaving Shinji kneeling in the middle of the living area. He looked down at his closed cello case and swallowed his anxiety.

"But… I never gave an answer," he said to himself.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato excused herself when she arrived a few minutes late for a high level meeting. Fuyutsuki had called it just a little past lunch, and Misato hadn't gotten the message until just a few minutes before it started. Doctor Akagi, Maya, Hyuga, and Aoba were all present.

"That's alright, Major," Fuyutsuki said. He waited a moment for Misato to join them at the table before turning on the screen on its surface. It displayed a map of the ocean just off the coast of Japan with a large area of it circled.

"The UN has reported over secure channels that one of its ships, the Kronprinz Wilhelm was lost along with all hands at approximately 0100 hours this morning," Maya said.

"The Kronprinz Wilhelm? What kind of ship was it?" Misato asked, although she already knew.

"A German Koenig class aircraft carrier," Hyuga reported with a knowing look.

"What about its escorts?" Misato asked. Standard procedure always had escorts for aircraft carriers, since they were the most expensive naval ships.

"There were no other ships traveling with the Kronprinz Wilhelm," Aoba said.

"I see," Misato said.

"According to the report given by the UN, no radio message or S.O.S. was made prior to the ship's disappearance," Maya said. "It's suspected that it took place in the circled area, based off the window from its last status report, and the one it failed to make."

"That's a pretty big area," Misato noted.

"The size of the area does not matter," Fuyutsuki said. "What does is whatever it is that took the ship."

"Are there any clues?" Misato asked. She was wondering just how much the UN was willing to give in its report, and how much Fuyutsuki may know on his end.

"There has been no sign of debris found," Maya answered.

"None at all," Fuyutsuki said while clicking his controller. Several small boxes appeared over the map to show photographs of the area where search parties had been dispatched. There was nothing but clear skies, and empty water. Not a single piece of debris was in any photograph.

"No wreckage, no bodies, nothing," Fuyutsuki said as he finished brining up the photographs.

"So what do we have to go on?" Misato asked.

"Speculation," Fuyutsuki said.

Fuyutsuki clicked the controller and replaced the map with images of the strange creature that had attacked Tokyo-3. Misato recalled that it had escaped into the ocean, and completely disappeared without a trace.

"It is suspected that this is what caused the disappearance of the ship," he said.

"But there's been no lead on it," Misato said. "The combined fleet of the UN hasn't been able to detect it since it disappeared off our coasts."

"That may be, but it's the only theory we've got," Ritsuko said.

"So, what do we do about it?" Misato asked. She was really starting to wonder what the point of this meeting was.

"We prepare ourselves," Fuyutsuki answered. "We've allowed the pilots considerable free time since the last battle. It's time we returned them to their training. If this thing is active again, I don't want to be caught off guard."

"Understood," Misato answered.

"What's the status of Units 01 and 02?" Fuyutsuki asked Ritsuko.

"Both are deployable, but still require some time to be fully repaired," she answered. "Unit-01 is at 85% and Unit-02 is at 90%. Both will be fully operational inside of a couple weeks. At present, Unit-03 is our only fully operation Evangelion."

"And when can we expect to be in our hands?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Nerv-02 reports that Unit-03 is being prepared for transport by aircraft," Hyuga answered. "It should be here in two days."

Fuyutsuki was envisioning the pieces he had on the board. Three Eva Units and none of them were what he would call 100%. On the other side were nine Evangelions, and an unknown creature of immense power. He also wondered how Unit-03 would turn out, given that it was built by a Nerv branch that was very closely tied to Seele. The chosen pilot did give him some hope, however.

"Prepare Unit-03's pilot for the activation test," he ordered. "Make sure the test site outside of Tokyo-2 is prepared."

"Understood," Misato said. She had already been planning and preparing for the activation anyways. The test site was already set up for Unit-03's arrival.

"Is there any other business anyone would like to discuss?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Maya has something to report on the weapons we salvaged from the last battle," Ritsuko said.

Maya blushed and hid her face as best she could behind her clip board while she started to read her report.

"After preliminary testing, it has been confirmed that the weapons are made of LCL," she explained. "I cross analyzed them with our database, and the Magi discovered they have a nearly identical make-up to the lance of Longinus."

"What does that mean?" Misato asked. From what she understood, the lance of Longinus was a relic that came to Earth along with Adam. They had used it to subdue him in Central Dogma before using it to kill the 15th angel. She found it hard to believe that Seele knew enough to create their own lances.

"It means that Seele had some rather interesting plans in motion before that strange entity attacked," Fuyutsuki said. "But it also means we now possess the perfect weapons to combat this creature, and anything else that may come."

"Do you expect more of them?" Misato asked. She wondered if it was possible they had any intel.

"It's my job to expect them," was all he said. "Maya, can we safely use them?"

"I'm not sure about that yet," Maya said. "While they are similar, they are not exact replicas. There is a 3% deviance from the original. What that means, I cannot say."

"Well… I guess that means we won't be sticking one into Adam," Hyuga said.

"What about their shapes?" Misato asked. "They didn't resemble the lance until our Eva's used them."

"I can't explain that either," Maya said sadly. "It could be due to the deviance, or it could be something else. There's no information on them in the shared Nerv database. Whatever they are, their creators want it to remain a secret."

"Continue your research, Ms. Ibuki," Fuyutsuki ordered. "Inform Ritsuko or Misato if you discover anything else."

"Yes, sir," Maya responded.

"If that's all, you're dismissed," Fuyutsuki said.

"Commander," Misato said as everyone started to gather their things. "May I speak to you and Doctor Akagi for a moment?"

"Of course, Major," Fuyutsuki replied.

The three waited a moment for the others to leave. When they were alone, Misato spoke.

"I was wondering how things went this morning?" she asked. "Shinji went home straight from there, I think."

"Commander Ikari responded to Shinji's presence, but there has been no change in his condition," Ritsuko explained.

"I see," Misato replied. She figured as much, since there had been no word at all regarding the commander's condition. "What about Shinji?"

"He seemed fine when he left," Ritsuko said. "He didn't say anything, and just left."

"I wonder how he feels, now that he knows," Misato thought out loud. She hoped he was okay.

"I'm sure he's doing just fine," Ritsuko said.

"Be sure to let us know if anything is troubling him," Fuyutsuki said.

"Yes, sir," Misato replied.

"By your leave, then," Fuyutsuki said. He motioned to the door with his open hand, ushering the two women out.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"No, no, no!" Asuka exclaimed.

The redhead stopped playing her violin and jabbed her finger into her partner's shoulder.

"You're playing too slow," she said.

Shinji rubbed his shoulder and sighed. Playing music with Asuka was about as easy as it was to do the synchronized dance steps with her when they first moved in together. That month was a never-ending nightmare for him. He struggled hour after hour to keep in step with her, but found it only made it harder to make the steps. Now he was experiencing the same thing with the music. He found himself rushing through certain parts to keep up with Asuka, but it was keeping him out of rhythm. He found her tempo to be too fast for such a slow piece, and really wished she wasn't so damn stubborn.

"I'm doing my best," Shinji said.

"You did a lot better the first time," Asuka said.

"Well, the first time I didn't have to worry about you," Shinji muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Asuka threatened.

"Nothing," Shinji quickly replied.

"That's what I thought," Asuka said. She got back into position to play. "Again, from the top."

Shinji groaned and prepared to start playing. Asuka tapped her foot to set the tempo and two started to play. Again, Shinji found the pace too fast, but tried to deal with it. He had to clench his jaw as his notes played out with sharp ends with abrupt stroke changes. He couldn't feel a damn thing, and the frustration eventually caused him to miss a note.

Asuka noticed the missed note and stopped playing again. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and was now wondering why she had thought this was a good idea. She didn't even remember why she wanted to do this in the first place, but refused to give up.

"This isn't working," Shinji said.

"Really? I thought it was going just splendidly," Asuka said through grating teeth.

Shinji frowned at Asuka's sarcasm. He felt it was misplaced, since this whole thing was her idea. She had no one to blame but herself, but he knew better than to say that. The last thing he needed was physical pain being stacked on top of his frustration. He was nearing the end of his rope, however. He didn't think it was possible for someone to make him hate playing the cello, but Asuka was about to accomplish that.

"I'm just saying that what we're doing isn't working," Shinji said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"So that's it? You want to give up?" Asuka asked.

"No," Shinji said. He wanted it to stop, but he didn't want to give up. He didn't want this to be his last memory of playing the cello.

"So what do you want to do then?" Asuka asked.

"I want you to just let me lead," Shinji said bluntly.

Asuka was at a loss for words. She couldn't believe Shinji was trying to take control.

"Is that okay?" Shinji asked. He got into position to start playing before an answer came, because he didn't really mean it as a question.

"Uh… okay," Asuka said. She followed Shinji's lead and raised her violin.

Shinji basked in the silence for a moment. He imagined the sound of the piano accompaniment, and lightly tapped his foot in tempo with it. As the music in his head neared their entrance, Shinji started to nod. Asuka caught his signal and positioned her fingers for the first note, and when Shinji gave a big nod, they began to play.

This time, Shinji ignored Asuka's tempo. He just focused on the piano in his head, and played to it. This time, he got his cello to sing, and got into the flow. Eventually, he noticed Asuka falling into step with him, and the two were playing in rhythm.

Asuka also noticed when they fell into a rhythm and loosened up a little as the song reached its half point. It was hard for her to follow someone's lead, since she had only ever played solo, but felt a sense of energy when her violin was so perfectly in sync with Shinji's cello. Playing became less of a methodical sequence of notes, and more of an emotional experience. She could literally feel the music through her entire body, and was now swaying along with her strokes.

Shinji felt the changes in Asuka's playing, and let himself get carried away as well. As good as it felt when he played like this alone, it was so much better with another person. He was amazed at how invigorating it was to hear another's instrument singing with his.

When the two finished the song, there was a brief moment of silence as they both took it all in. Shinji and Asuka were both feeling a sense of euphoria, although they didn't know each other were feeling the same thing.

"That was… amazing," Asuka said finally.

"Yeah," Shinji agreed.

"Is it always like that for you?" she asked.

"No, it's never quite been like that before," he explained.

"Me neither," Asuka said.

Shinji chuckled. The way Asuka had been playing earlier, he wasn't surprised it'd never been like that for her before. For him though, it was a surprising experience. He couldn't imagine playing solo now. It seemed like it would just be lonely compared to what he had just experienced.

"You were right, by the way," Asuka said.

"Mmm? About what?" Shinji asked.

"The vibrato. The last note sounds a lot better when you leave it out," she explained.

"Oh, thanks," Shinji said. He hadn't really given the note much thought, and didn't notice it being any different.

"So, what do you have to say about my playing?" Asuka asked with an expectant tone.

Shinji thought about his words carefully. He had seldom been asked to critique anything by Asuka, but he knew the dangers of poorly worded answers.

"Your playing was very beautiful just then," he said. "Your notes were very smooth and in tune."

Asuka took pride in the praise, but also noticed he was only talking about the most recent performance.

"And what about before?" she asked.

"Before?" Shinji asked.

"Yes, before," she repeated. "When I was leading."

"Well…" Shinji wanted to kick himself for being so stupid as to allow himself to get trapped like that.

"Shinji…" Asuka said with a faint tone of warning.

"It's not important," Shinji insisted. "You played much better the last time."

"So you're saying my normal playing was bad," Asuka accused him.

Now feeling the heat, Shinji knew he couldn't brush it off any longer. He had dug his own grave, and it was time to accept it, and hop in.

"Before… you were too forceful," he said nervously. "Music shouldn't be forced, much like piloting an Eva. You have to feel it, and let it feel you."

Shinji was amazed he had thought of those words so quickly, and related it to their piloting. He believed the analogy would help Asuka understand. He also hoped it would help her appreciate his opinion, and not completely obliterate him.

Asuka had to chew her lip to prevent herself from snapping back at Shinji. She had wanted his honest opinion of her playing, and she got it. She also couldn't fault him, because just a couple hours ago, she was thinking about how she was trying to force things to stay the same. She was starting to realize she was probably not noticing just how much she behaved in this manner.

Shinji saw the way Asuka was biting her lip through the corner of his eye. He wondered what she was waiting for, because she obviously had something to say. When a few seconds passed, and she continued to look like she was suppressing something, he decided he'd try again to lighten the air.

"But you still played very good," he said. "I'm sure you would have been great on your own, without me dragging behind."

Asuka released her lip, but now pursed them tightly in slight frustration. Her inability to speak had just caused Shinji to once again belittle himself. This time, he was doing it to try to make her feel better. She couldn't help but feel like what he had just said was a white lie. But she also felt that calling him out on it would be the wrong thing to do. She got her answer, which was okay, for now. She would use this as a learning experience to evaluate her own playing. Asuka had to swallow pretty hard to get rid of her lump, and her pride.

"That's okay," she said. "You don't have to say that just to make me feel good about myself."

"It's not like that," Shinji insisted.

"Yes, it is," Asuka said. "When we played just now, I never knew my violin could sound like that. To think I could be better on my own, just isn't true."

"I just meant, that you would have been fine on your own," Shinji explained. "I still think we sounded better together than just one instrument alone."

"So you think we were better together than when you were by yourself?" Asuka asked.

"Well… yeah," Shinji answered.

"Thank you, Shinji," Asuka said with a smile.

Shinji didn't say anything, but he smiled back at Asuka. Crisis avoided, he relaxed and enjoyed the moment. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so peaceful.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Tabris sat on the edge of the catwalk facing Unit-05 in his plug suit. He was humming a tune to himself with an expressionless face.

"Kaworu Nagisa," came Seele-01's voice from behind him.

Tabris stopped humming.

"Father," he said with his usual discontented tone.

The monolith for chairman Keel, reading Seele-01, floated behind him. It looked rather precarious in the hanger filled with the Eva Series, but Tabris was used to it.

"The pilot of Unit-03 has been chosen," Seele-01 said.

"Is that so?" Tabris asked. He sounded disinterested.

"Yes. It is to be the Fourth Child."

"The Fourth Child you say? Now, that is interesting," Tabris said with a sudden curious tone.

Tabris was looking up at Unit-05's face as he spoke. He heard the Eva's thoughts in his mind, and felt the same curiosity. A piece of the puzzle was taking shape, he believed.

"We thought so as well," Seele-01 said.

"And let me guess, you were wondering if I know anything about that," Tabris asked.

"I was wondering," Seele-01 corrected, hinting that the others didn't know about this meeting.

"You?" Tabris asked. "Has the would be shepherd gone astray?"

"Do not patronize me," Seele-01 warned.

Tabris felt his neck burning intensely at the sound of the monolith's words. He choked for air, but was relieved when it ended after only a second.

"What do you know of this?" Seele-01 demanded.

"These monsters are your own making," Tabris answered. "What makes you think I would know anything?"

"Your words betray you, Nagisa," Seele-01 said. "You said the boy's selection was interesting."

"And it is," Tabris agreed. "I am merely curious, but enough about your silly toys. I'm more interested in your lost little sheep."

"What are you referring to?" Seele-01 asked.

Tabris could almost sense the old man's nervousness through the black slate. He delighted in how lost the fool was.

"Did you really think I wouldn't know?" Tabris asked. "You did create me for my specific talents."

"So you do know what caused it," Seele-01 accused.

"I have my theories," Tabris teased. "It really should be obvious."

Seele-01 was silent as it gazed at Tabris with its front face. Keel really disliked this boy's behavior, but needed him, now that his plans were all failing. Even his back-ups were starting to look like lost causes, but as long as he held Nagisa in his tight grip, there was hope.

"It would seem that time is running out," Seele-01 said.

"It would appear that way," Tabris replied with a wicked smile.

"Do not delight in your master's troubles," Seele-01 warned. "You still belong to me."

Tabris lost his smile and now looked back at Seele-01 with defiance in his eyes. He was going to enjoy the moment when the old man met his maker.

"You will obey my commands," Seele-01 said.

"And what is thy bidding?" Tabris asked sarcastically.

"I want you to acquire something for me," Seele-01 said.

Tabris looked back into the monolith's face, waiting for the old man's request.

"Bring me Unit-03, and its pilot" he commanded.

"Unit-03 is in your possession already," Tabris said. "Why, oh why don't you simply ask the American to hand it over to you?"

"The others have become scared into inaction. Since the last conflict, they are content to sit and wait, and pray. I cannot trust them to do what needs to be done," Seele-01 explained.

Tabris face gave a twisted smile as he looked away from the monolith. He could see the shroud beginning to unravel. His day would come soon.

"Do what you are told, and let me worry about dealing with them," Seele-01 said. "You will do this with Unit-05 alone."

"Very well," Tabris replied.

Seele-01 vanished from the hanger, leaving Tabris alone among the Eva Series. He looked up to Unit-05's face and grinned.

"The old man is very entertaining, don't you think?" he asked.

The Eva gave no audible reply, but Tabris could hear it in his mind. His much larger brethren agreed with him.

"He struggles to control what he can never hope to contain," Tabris mused. "He worries about such small things," he looked up to the unseen sky beyond the hanger ceiling," when there's so much more, yet to come."

Content with how things were going, Tabris resumed humming his tune. Mary had a little lamb.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Are you tired yet? Have you all had enough of the chapters without action? Fear not, for the next chapter is sure to make a return to action. I hope you all liked Asuka and Shinji's interaction in this chapter. The original draft had a very very very different scene taking place, and it made no sense when I did a read through.


	14. 1:14 The Order of Things

Kraus leaned on a railing overlooking the airfield where Unit-03 was being prepared to transport. He had flown in just a few hours ago, under orders to watch over the Evangelion's activation test.

He wasn't quite sure why his superiors wanted him to do this, because it took him away from the assignment they had tasked him with just a few days ago. It also didn't help that he had no experience with the workings of Evangelions and their pilots.

"Be sure to look for anything suspicious," is what they had told him during their brief meeting.

Kraus mulled over those words as he watched the black Eva get attached to two very large locking mechanisms and then placed onto some kind of lift to be moved onto the plane that was going to fly it out of the States and to Japan. He wondered what his bosses were expecting. Was this somehow linked to the disappearing ship? Was there more going on than they had let him know about?

The latter would not surprise Kraus. He knew better than to think he was being told everything about his work. He also knew not to questions orders, or he'd wind up like Agent Ryoji Kaji; expended.

Kraus wouldn't falter like his former colleague had. He didn't know a lot of the details, but his own investigation had turned out some interesting leads. The investigator inside of him wanted to see where those leads ended, but he had more pressing matters at the moment.

"It's quite something, isn't it?" a man asked in English from behind.

Kraus turned his head and saw one of the Nerv employee's from the second branch in Massachusetts. The man was six feet tall, with brown hair, with a matching beard. He looked to be in his late 30s.

Kraus didn't recognize the man, but it also didn't matter to him, since he wasn't going to be staying in America much longer. He nodded in agreement to the man's question.

"It certainly is," Krause said.

"It never ceases to amaze me, even after building two of them," the man said. "I guess that's partly because I've never seen one in action."

"I haven't either," Krause said.

"No?" the man asked. "You're from the German branch, aren't you? I figured you were, because of your accent."

"I came from Germany, yes," Kraus said.

"I guess you weren't around when Unit-02 was still there, then," the man said. "They at least had a pilot for it. We couldn't find one here."

Kraus listened to the man, and was a little impressed by his knowledge of Unit-02, and it's pilot. Even in today's connected world, that kind of information wasn't openly available. He made a note of it, in case he'd need to follow up.

By now, Unit-03 had finished being loaded onto the transport. It was now resting face down below the belly of the massive aircraft.

"I must be going," Kraus said. "Good day."

"You have a good day too," the man replied.

Kraus turned and walked towards the steps leading down to the airfield. He wasn't looking forward to this flight, his 4th in even fewer days. He had plenty of notes on Evangelions to look over during the flight.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:14**

**- The Order of Things -**

**By: OmegaGear**

* * *

Asuka gave a hearty yawn while she stretched on her way to the dining table. She was still working out the morning kinks, but couldn't resist the smell of breakfast. When she arrived, Shinji set out two plates and joined her at the table.

"What about Misato?" Asuka asked, noticing that there wasn't any extra for their guardian.

"She already left for work," Shinji said.

"Really? So early?" Asuka asked. She was amazed.

"You don't remember? She had to leave early to head to Tokyo-2 for Unit-03's activation test," Shinji explained.

"Oh yeah," Asuka said, although she really hadn't remembered at all.

The two ate their breakfast without another word between them. Pen-Pen had already finished his, and was now standing next to Asuka, giving his best puppy face.

"Beat it," Asuka said with a wave of her hand to shoo away the bird.

Pen-Pen didn't move an inch, and flapped his wings while clicking his beak.

"I said scram," Asuka hissed, while pushing the bird back with her foot. "You're not getting anything from me."

"Here, Pen-Pen," Shinji called over.

Pen-Pen glanced over and saw a small piece of toast in Shinji's hand. The bird waddled over and cheerfully nipped the scrap away and began to consume it.

"Oh, very good, Shinji," Asuka mocked him. "Way to spoil him."

"What?" Shinji asked. "What's the big deal?"

"That's how it starts!" Asuka exclaimed.

"How what starts?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, forget it," Asuka said and finished the rest of her breakfast. "Go ahead and spoil the bird."

"Anyway, you haven't forgotten about what we have to do after school?" Shinji asked.

"And what would that be?" Asuka asked in return.

"We have to report to Nerv and be on standby," Shinji said.

"Standby? What for?" Asuka asked.

"I don't know," Shinji answered. "I just know what the orders are."

"But neither of our Eva's have finished repairs," Asuka complained.

"Complaining to me won't do anything about it," Shinji said.

"I wasn't complaining," Asuka claimed.

Shinji looked at Asuka and considered pointing out that she had been. He could tell by her body language, though, that would be a bad idea, and only cause a real argument.

"Alright then," Shinji said.

Shinji gathered their plates and washed them while Asuka sulked in her chair. She hated standby. It was hours upon hours of sitting inside of the cockpit until God knows when. It wasn't so much being in the cockpit she minded. She loved piloting her Eva, but standby was just sitting in amber goo with nothing to do while you waited.

_It'll take hours to get the stench out of my hair, _Asuka thought.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Toji sat silently across from Misato and Ritsuko. The three, along with Rei, whom was next to him, were currently flying to the activation test site. He figured they would have taken a small plane, but they were actually in a large plane that Misato explained was normally used for transporting Evas. So far, the short flight had gone by without a word having been spoken.

Toji glanced at the two adults sitting across from him. Misato was looking out the window with her arms crossed while Ritsuko was looking over something on her clipboard. The silence was kind of unnerving for Toji, so he took a chance on some small talk.

"So, why are we taking this plane?" Toji asked. "Are we flying the Eva back after we're done?"

"No," Ritsuko said. "Unit-03 will remain behind at the test site and be transported to headquarters separately. We're bringing cargo."

"Oh, right," Toji said and glanced back at the door leading to the main hold. He remembered watching them load a huge metal object into the hold before they boarded. He had no idea what it was, but it was as long as an Eva was tall.

"What's the status of the test site?" Ritsuko asked.

"Everything was just about ready at last report," Misato answered. "The crew was conducting preliminary testing of the equipment."

"Sounds like we just might be ready to go right away once Unit-03 arrives," Ritsuko said.

"I hope so," Misato said.

Toji stared down at his hands. He was starting to feel anxious about the test. The last time he had attempted to activate Unit-03 did not end well.

_It's not the same one_, he told himself in his mind. _It won't turn out the same way._

"How you doing, Toji?" Misato asked.

"I'm doing fine, ma'am," he replied nervously.

"Just relax, and everything will be just fine," Misato said.

"I will," he said, trying to sound as brave as possible.

"And you, Rei? How are you feeling?" Misato asked the girl next to Toji.

"I am fine," she said.

"Good to hear," Misato said.

"If I may ask, why am I here?" Rei asked.

"You're coming as a precaution," Ritsuko answered. "In case we need to try with another pilot."

Toji felt his anxiety spike at the thought of them needing to try with Rei, because he failed. He really hoped it didn't come to that. He kept repeating the same sentences in his head to try to psyche himself up.

_You can do this, man. You can do this to protect her._

"And what of our cargo?" Rei asked.

"That is also a precaution," Misato answered.

"You have nothing to worry about, Rei," Ritsuko insisted. "We've taken care of everything."

Misato gave Ritsuko a sideways glance. She wondered just how much she had taken care of in relation to this situation. Everything just seemed a little too in order for Ritsuko. Thinking about the details of the test, and their preparation, a question popped into Misato's head.

"Speaking of taking care of things, why is it that Unit-03 needs external power?" Misato asked.

"It's not equipped with an S2 engine," Ritsuko answered plainly, as if the answer should have been obvious.

"Yeah, but why not?" Misato asked. "The Eva series all had them."

Ritsuko lowered the page on her clip board and looked at Misato. She seemed to be sizing her up, looking for something. After a moment, she spoke.

"I can't talk about it here," she said, and gave the children a sideways glance.

Misato also glanced at the two pilots, and understood what Ritsuko meant.

"We can discuss it once we've returned to headquarters," Ritsuko said.

"Right," Misato replied quietly.

Ritsuko was glad Misato understood, and returned to her notes. She made sure the page she held in her hand obscured what she was reading from Misato, as it did not pertain to Unit-03. For the second time, she over read the incident report the Magi had made on Rei's AT-Field projection.

_It's starting to get worse,_ she noted.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"The hour is approaching for Unit-03's activation," Seele-03 announced.

The Council of Seele formed their usual circle in a vast meeting chamber. The twelve giant monoliths were meeting more and more in the days following their failed instrumentality. This meeting was just another in a string of unplanned discussions, reacting to unforeseen circumstances.

"Yes, but as the hour draws near, something troubling has arisen," Seele-04 said.

"Indeed," Seele-02 agreed. "Why did you order Nagisa and Unit-05 to the test site?" he asked Seele-01.

"I have ordered him there as a precaution," Seele-01 lied.

"A precaution? Without our knowing?" Seele-05 asked.

"Your decisions are showing poor judgment," Seele-08 accused.

"What I do is for the good of us all," Seele-01 said.

"Words that Gendo Ikari once used," Seele-12 said with warning.

"Do not compare me to that traitor," Seele-01 hissed.

"Then do not act like Ikari," Seele-03 answered.

"I have done no such thing," Seele-01 said with authority.

"Even so, acting so overtly is not like you," Seele-02 said. "Do you feel as if the situation warrants such actions?"

"I do," Seele-01 said. "We cannot be too careful moving forward."

There was silence throughout the council. They were not used to having so little control of events, and especially one of their own acting without census. Having that member being their leader made it all the more troubling. It was becoming clear that broad strokes would need to be made to restore order before it was too late.

"Very well," Seele-02 said. "We will discuss this matter after the activation test and Unit-05 has returned to Germany."

"That will do," Seele-01 said.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Rei looked up at Unit-03 from the temporary catwalk at the military base where the test was being conducted. Despite having not seen it before, Unit-03's appearance was giving Rei flashes of strange memories involving some kind of battle.

Rei recalled memories of the battled with the 13th Angel her past life had gone through. She remembered the searing pain in her arm when the Angel had attempted to infiltrate her own Eva, and then the commander's cold hearted order to sever the arm.

The memory of the pain forced Rei to tense her jaw. It was memories like these, of extreme pain, that resonated the most in her mind. From what she was able to recollect, the Commander was a terrible man, and the source of much suffering.

Despite having remembered the battle with the 13th Angel vividly, the flashes continued. Rei did not understand why they were, happening, but what she saw, was not familiar. She focused her gaze on Unit-03, subconsciously reaching to it with her mind.

In Rei's mind, she heard the faint whimpering of Unit-03's soul. She didn't understand what was happening, or how it was she could hear it.

"I can hear you," she whispered in wonder.

Unit-03's soul stopped suddenly, as if scared. Rei could sense how weak it was, and wondered if all of the Evas were this way. Slowly, she felt as if Unit-03's soul was gazing back upon her.

"What is it?" she asked. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Unit-03 did not respond with any words, or even the whimper she had heard earlier.

Rei focused on it harder, trying desperately to see the flashes more clearly. The images returned, and she could see what resembled Unit-03, surrounded by a world set on fire.

In the distance, unknown to the girl, a man was watching her through a pair of binoculars.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Tabris sat quietly in the cockpit of Unit-05. The white Eva was floating above the Earth, with most of its systems completely shut down. It's AT-Field was down, so as to not be detectable by anything with the keen sense for such things.

He was maintaining his location high above the atmosphere over the Tokyo-2 test site, where no one would be able to detect him. He of course, was more than able to detect what he needed to.

Down below, Tabris could feel the faint presence of Unit-03, and the much stronger existence of Rei Ayanami.

"So, the girl is finally starting to learn," Tabris mused as he felt subtle changes in her AT-Field.

Tabris smiled as the timer slowly counted down next to him. It wouldn't be long before the activation test began, and he'd make his move. He had no intention of fulfilling his "father's" orders, however. He had his own reasons for wanting to be here.

"Soon, the truth will be laid bare for all to see," Tabris said in amusement.

He looked up at the stars above, and the shining white moon. Unit-05's emotions filled his mind, and he calmed his large brethren.

"Soon," he said to his Eva. "Soon."

Tabris gazed down at the blue orb below him and grinned.

"I hope you're all watching."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka groaned as time ticked away inside of the cockpit of Unit-02. She had shut off the timer overlay a long time ago so she wouldn't actually know how much time had passed.

She couldn't stand being on standby like this. Hours of just sitting in the Eva inside of the hanger. No communications, no action, no nothing. All she had was a view of Unit-01 next to her and the faint hum of the instruments in her otherwise silent cockpit of amber LCL.

That was the other thing that bugged her. In order to conserve energy, the LCL wasn't fully charged, and the cockpit was basically in life support mode. This meant she got a nice orange view of everything, and the unbearable smell of LCL.

"Man, this sucks," Asuka complained out loud. "Just what do they think we can do all the way over here anyways?"

Asuka was speaking of them being on emergency standby in Tokyo-3, when the test was being conducted at Tokyo-2. The same blunder had been done way back when the original Unit-03 had been tested. They just sat there and waited for it to come to them, which was a huge waste of time, as far as Asuka was concerned.

Asuka would have given anything for something to do. There was nothing she hated more than sitting around doing nothing. She wondered what Shinji was up to.

"I bet that idiot is in heaven in this silence," she said.

Asuka couldn't stand it any longer. She had to do something before she went crazy. Without another thought, she hastily pressed the com button to contact Unit-01.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji groaned as the gentle hum of the cockpit started to echo in his head. He was starting to feel like he was trapped inside of the 12th Angel again. Endless time spent in the orange haze of LCL and humming silence of a cockpit in life support mode. He couldn't believe he found himself hoping for something to happen.

Like back then, Shinji found his mind wandering wherever it wanted to go. With nothing else to do, he just thought about anything and everything. His thoughts settled on the duet he had played with Asuka yesterday.

At that moment, a box appeared to his left with the word "Private" blinking. Shinji didn't have to ask who it was, and clicked his com button to open communications with Unit-02.

Asuka's face appeared in the box, and she looked as frustrated as Shinji felt.

"Hey, Shinji, how you doing over there?" she asked.

"I'm bored," Shinji replied.

"You think you're bored?" Asuka asked. "Imagine how I feel? At least you're used to this kind of thing."

"I wouldn't say that," Shinji said.

"Well, whatever," Asuka waved off the subject. "You think they've started the test yet?"

"I don't know," Shinji said. "I shut off my timer a long time ago."

"Ha, me too," Asuka laughed. "Who'd ever want to know how long they've been inside like this?"

"Someone seeing how long he has left to live," Shinji answered grimly.

"Hey now, let's not go there," Asuka said. The last thing she wanted was a depressed Shinji to go along with the boredom.

Shinji said nothing and sat back in his seat with his hands grasping the control sticks. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, as if he was conducting a synch ratio test.

Asuka watched him through the video screen and wondered what he was thinking.

_I wonder if he's mad now? _She wondered.

Not wanting to return to silent waiting, Asuka tried to keep the conversation going.

"So, what are you going to make for dinner?" she asked.

Shinji cracked one eye open at the video screen.

"How can you think about that right now?" he asked.

"What? How can you not?" Asuka asked. "I'm bored out of my skull right now!"

"I don't know..." Shinji replied. "I just don't think about those kinds of things when I'm inside of Eva."

At that, Asuka scoffed and crossed her arms. "So what do you think about then?" she asked.

"Err, Nothing," Shinji answered, a little unevenly.

Asuka always caught when Shinji lost his composure. He was so calm and collected in his private thoughts, it was easy to pick out moments when he's caught off guard.

"It doesn't sound like you were thinking about nothing," Asuka accused.

"It's nothing important," Shinji insisted.

"Well, humor me," Asuka demanded.

"What? Why?" Shinji asked.

"We have nothing else to do," Asuka answered.

Shinji groaned. He hated to admit it, but she had a point. There really was nothing else to do, but talk while they were in standby. Still, he didn't like talking about certain things with Asuka, because it usually earned her ridicule. At the same time, Shinji was growing tired of being so apprehensive around her. It was tiring watching his step everywhere he went.

"Asuka," he said.

"I'm listening," she said.

Shinji felt every fiber of his being telling him not to do what he was about to. Survival instinct was a hard animal to kill, and Shinji imagined this must be what it feels like to truly face your fears, like a man afraid of heights preparing to bungee jump, except this was more like a sky dive into his fears. He wanted to retreat to safety, where he always went, but was just so tired of being in the same spot for so long.

"I..." Shinji swallowed.

Asuka was watching him intently through the video screen. Shinji could see the look in her eyes, the expectation. He wished the resolution wasn't so damn crystal clear.

"I was thinking about... you," he said, just barely. His voice had been croaky the whole time.

_Well, that's it, I've dug my own grave,_ Shinji thought. But, instead of the feeling of dread, he felt strangely refreshed. He had crossed a line he had been behind for so long, and was forever past its barrier.

Asuka's face was like stone on the video screen. Shinji didn't know if it was better or worse that she wasn't physically there. Was it cowardly that he had done such a thing in the safety of his Eva?

"Sh-shinji..." Asuka muttered.

Shinji found himself blushing, and was glad the orange haze of the LCL would hide it.

Asuka, for her part, felt the same way, although her fare skin still made her blush noticeable. Shinji noticed the slight pigmentation, but didn't know if it was a blush, or anger.

"Yeah, you know... the music we had played, together," he said quickly, hoping to play it off innocently.

"I... I'm ok with that," Asuka found herself saying at the same time. She hadn't really heard what Shinji had just stammered.

Shinji was still tense all over. He couldn't read Asuka at all. He'd never seen such a look on her face before. She looked surprised, which was to be expected, he guessed, but she also looked... shy? Is that what he saw? Asuka had never been shy before about anything.

"Well, I should... get back to standing by," Asuka said, still not having blinked once.

Asuka's video screen closed in Shinji's cockpit. The boy continued to stare at the blank space where Asuka's face had just been.

_I've really done it now,_ he thought.

In the command center, Maya watched as the two pilots' synch and psyche graphs suddenly became erratic.

"Just what the heck are those two up to now?" she wondered out loud.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Toji sat nervously in the seat of his cockpit as the chatter on the com channels went through systems checks. He listened to each check, feeling the moment creeping ever closer with each green light. His heart was racing, and he was having trouble controlling his breathing. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so nervous.

"Toji, try to relax," Ritsuko said through the com. "We can't move forward unless you calm down."

"Right," Toji replied.

Toji focused on his breathing. He drew in long, deep breaths and exhaled slowly. With each breath, he felt himself calm down just a little bit, until his heart was no longer pounding in his ears.

"That's better," Ritsuko said. "Just relax. You have nothing to worry about. Do it the same way you did in the simulation and you'll be just fine."

"Okay," Toji replied nervously.

It was hard for him to approach this test the same way as the simulation. He had his memories of his past activation tests with Unit-03 and 02 swirling in his mind, pushing doubt inside.

"Empty your mind," he muttered to himself.

That is what Ritsuko and Misato had told him to do when synching with Evas. Too much noise, and problems would pop up.

"Just relax and clear your mind," Toji told himself.

While Toji continued to psyche himself up, Ritsuko was watching the graphs in the temporary control site. They were slowly decreasing until reaching an acceptable level.

"Looks like he's just about ready," Ritsuko said.

"That's good," Misato said.

"Ma'am, all systems check green," a man said.

"Okay, then we're ready," Ritsuko said. She leaned down and clicked on the com channel. "We're ready to begin, Toji."

"Okay," came Toji's reply.

Ritsuko glanced at the graphs and saw brain activity spike, but not so much that they'd have to wait.

"He's looking good," she said. "Begin system activation."

"Confirmed, charging the LCL," the man at the front console said.

In the cockpit, Toji watched as the amber liquid lit up, and his view screens showed various spectrums of light and shapes. He knew it was time, and exhaled sharply.

High above, beyond the clouds, unknown to everyone at the test site, Tabris smiled and watched inside of Unit-05.

"LCL charged, beginning nerve connections," the man at the front said.

Ritsuko and Misato watched as the nerve connections turned white with each connection. Toji's nerve pattern slowly aligned with the Eva's.

"First and second nerve connections complete," another man said.

"Here we go," Ritsuko said softly.

As the third connection began, Misato held her breath.

Toji felt the presence of the Eva surround him as the nerve connections linked. It felt nearly identical to when he first attempted to activate the original Unit-03. It was cold, alien, and yet had a mysterious warmth that lingered behind its initial appearance.

As the warmth spread, Toji felt the presence at his mind. It was strange, but it felt vaguely familiar to him.

The presence circled Toji's mind. It seemed to be examining him, feeling his thoughts. With each conscious thought, the presence withdrew suddenly, and then slowly returned to probe him again.

Toji wondered if this is what had happened the last time he had attempted activation of Unit-03. He couldn't remember anything beyond the second nerve connection step. This was also so unlike his attempt with Unit-02.

As the probe continued, the presence moved deeper into Toji's mind, until he could feel it filling his body. The strange sensation was overwhelming compared to the simulation, but Toji accepted it. He wanted this to work.

He could feel the presence completely filling him now, except for one last barrier in his mind. He tried to urge it on, telling it with his thoughts, but it could not advance. In the control room, everyone watched as the final link of the third nerve connection blink rapidly.

_Come on._ Toji urged the presence.

As the seconds went by, and the presence lingered, Toji remembered everyone's advice, and how it had felt in the simulation. At once, he emptied his mind and exhaled.

As Toji's breath exited his body, the presence completely entered his mind. He felt it, and all of his senses seemed to extend beyond his body. On the com, he heard applause, followed by a congratulations from Ritsuko.

"You did it, Toji," she said. "Unit-03 is activated."

"Way to go, Toji," Misato said over the com.

"Piece of cake," Toji said cockily.

"Alright, lets run some synch and stability tests," Ritsuko said.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

In the cockpit of Unit-05, Tabris sensed the awakening of a mind. It was faint, barely audible at the edge of his perception. Not surprising, considering that the Eva's soul was waking up for the first time.

"It would seem Unit-03 has activated," Tabris said.

Unit-05 did not reply to Tabris, for it didn't have the same ability to sense things like he did. At hearing that Unit-03 had become active, however, it became excited.

"Hmm... you think we should go so soon?" Tabris asked his Eva.

Tabris listened to his Eva in his mind. It craved action, and wanted to test itself against Unit-03.

"Don't get carried," Tabris warned. "We're not here to destroy them."

Unit-05 calmed slightly, and Tabris smiled.

"Don't worry, there will be more than enough fun for everyone," Tabris said. "After all..." He glanced at the blackness above him. "They have come."

A large mass of black matter flew past Unit-05. As it did, Tabris felt the overwhelming power of it. He glanced at the passing creature, which hadn't taken notice of him, thanks to his Eva's nearly dormant state.

"Show time, Lilin," he said.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"Very good, Toji," Ritsuko said. "All charts are reading steady. Think you can handle going a little deeper?"

"I'm ready for anything," came Toji's answer.

"Alright, increase the depth another 5%" Ritsuko ordered.

"Confirmed, increasing depth 5%," the man at the front console said.

Ritsuko and Misato watched as the plug depth increased, and the synch charts began to fluctuate. Toji's initial drops were pretty drastic, but his recoveries showed promise. Each increase in depth tested him further, but within seconds, he always evened out.

Even Misato knew these kinds of results were amazing for someone so inexperienced. She remembered the problems Shinji had with plug depth when he first started piloting. Of course, Shinji had even less prior training than Toji did when he started, so it was understandable. Asuka, on the other hand, didn't even begin testing with plug depth until years after being selected to pilot.

Misato was starting to doubt her suspicions. Maybe Toji was just a prodigy pilot, like Shinji had been. Still, the single pilot issue is what made Misato wonder more than anything, and she also took issue with all of the pilot candidates being in the same class, like some kind of breeding pen.

"Still doing well, Toji," Ritsuko said. "Let's try another..."

An indicator start blinking on the front console before Ritsuko could finish. The man at the console punched the button and listened to a message relaying to his ear piece.

"Something's been detected in the atmosphere above us," he reported.

"I the atmosphere? What is it?" Misato asked.

"Unknown, satellites can't get a clear image," he replied.

"Anything on our own scanners?" Misato asked.

"Negative, we've got nothing..."

Before the man could finish, the temporary command center shook, and the monitors all went ballistic with flashing warnings.

"AT field detected! Pattern is... Red?" the man said in disbelief.

"Red? What?" Misato asked and looked down at the monitor.

In the screen, was a flashing warning for AT-Field detection, and the word Red.

_Red..._ Misato tried to remember what that meant. She had heard the term used to describe a possible blood type once, but it was so long ago.

Ritsuko, on the other hand, knew exactly what it meant. Its appearance, however, was as shocking to her as everyone else.

"We're in trouble," she said.

"No, shit," Misato said sarcastically.

"No, I mean we're in really big trouble, Misato," Ritsuko said fearfully.

Ritsuko leaned over the main console and read over Toji's graphs. Everything looked good, but they hadn't done any testing beyond simple synch ratios and plug depth. They had no way of knowing how he'd perform in combat.

"We have to use Unit-03, " she said.

"The target is descending rapidly! It'll be here in thirty seconds!" the man at the front shouted.

"Damn!" Misato cursed. "Contact HQ and tell them what's happening!" She shouted to the com officer.

"Roger!" the man said and initiated contact with HQ.

"What's the status of this base's defenses?" Misato asked.

"Reports coming in," a man said. "Ground and air support is scrambling. Ready to fire on your command."

"Do it," she said. "And locate Rei! Make sure she's somewhere safe."

The man relayed the order, and through several of the monitors, flashes of artillery fire could be seen as AA cannons and ground vehicles fired up into the sky at the coming target.

"No confirmed effect," the man said.

"I didn't expect any, but keep it up," Misato said.

"Rei has been located," someone said. "She's being moved to a secure bunker on site."

"Good," Misato said. "Release the locks on Unit-03!" she ordered the man at the main console.

"Locks released!" he announced.

Through the main monitor, Misato saw Unit-03 slump as the locks on its arms released. She silently apologized to Toji and clasped the cross around her neck.

"Reset the plug depth," Ritsuko ordered.

"Resetting to standard depth," another man said. "Synch ratio holding steady at 31%."

_It's not much, but it'll have to do,_ Misato told herself.

"Toji, do you know what's happening?" Misato asked.

"I think I do," he replied.

"Alright. You're all we've got. Just focus on what you learned in your training. Help is on the way," Misato said. _I hope,_ she thought.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Toji felt unusually heavy as Unit-03 slowly lurched forward. He watched as AA cannons and mobile missile launchers fired volleys into the night sky. Above, he could barely make a mass of black smoke and red fire descending quickly.

"Contact! The target is here!" a man shouted over the com.

In front of Toji, a massive black diamond shaped object crashed into the ground. As the dust and debris cleared, four appendages separated from the lower half, and extended before lifting the main body up. Once it was up on what Toji thought were its feet, the body tilted back to reveal a single red eye on its otherwise blank face, which was right between its two front legs.

"What the Hell is that thing?" Toji asked.

"We don't know," Misato answered.

"You don't know!?" Toji replied in shock.

Toji looked at the creature before him.

Whatever it was, it was big. Not as big as the last creature that had attacked Tokyo-3, but still considerably larger than an Eva. It walked forward slowly, much like a turtle would, and shook the ground with each step.

As the behemoth advanced forward, Toji stood Unit-03 up, and prepared to fight.

"Energy reading detected! Incoming fire!" a man shouted over the com.

"Oh no," Toji hissed and braced himself.

The massive creature fired a red beam that exploded into a cross, much like an Angel's cross-beam. Toji's cockpit rocked violently as Unit-03'a AT-Field absorbed the explosion.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"Sir, the test site is reporting an unknown entity appearing at their location," Hyuga said after hanging up the phone at his console.

Fuyutsuki clenched the railing overlooking the command center. He was dreading something like this. He really wish they had had the resources and time to ship Unit-01 or 02 to the test site.

"What's their situation?" he asked.

"Unit-03 has been launched," Maya reported. "But..."

"There's no way the pilot is ready for combat," Fuyutsuki finished for her.

"Right..." Maya agreed.

"What is the target?" Fuyutsuki asked."Is it an Angel?"

"Negative," Hyuga said. "Reports state that its blood type is... Red."

"Red?" Fuyutsuki said in disbelief.

"Magi confirm that," Maya reported.

_Damn,_ Fuyutsuki cursed in his head. _I never imagined this was going to happen._

"Sir, what does this mean?" Maya asked.

"What's the status of Unit-01?" Fuyutsuki asked, ignoring her inquiry.

"All systems are operational, but its armor hasn't finished being replaced," Maya said.

"That's okay. How long would it take for Shinji to get there?" He asked.

"Estimated ten minutes," Aoba said.

"Do it," Fuyutsuki ordered.

In Unit-01's cockpit, Shinji was surprised when his LCL was suddenly charged.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked.

"The test site is under attack," Hyuga said over the com.

"Attack? Is it an Angel?" Shinji asked.

"We're launching you in Unit-01," Fuyutsuki said, again ignoring the question asked. "You're to proceed to Tokyo-2 and engage the target."

"Hey, what about me?" Asuka shouted over the com.

"Your Eva still needs an external power source," Maya explained. "We can't send you out there.

"Oh, damn it," Asuka cursed.

"Unit-01 is ready for launch," Maya said. "Synchronization is steady."

"Launch!" Fuyutsuki shouted.

Shinji braced himself as the cockpit rocked violently from the catapult launching him towards the surface. When his Eva reached the surface, the locks on its arms released, and he stepped forward.

"Hey, Shinji," Asuka said over the com.

"What is it?" Shinji asked. He couldn't believe Asuka wanted to talk at a time like this.

"Stay safe," she said.

Shinji was surprised by Asuka's words. Even more, was her tone. She sounded concerned.

"I will," he said and started his journey to Tokyo-2.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"What is the meaning of this!" Seele-03 shouted.

No one had to ask what he meant. Everyone saw what was happening.

"It would seem your fears were correct," Seele-07 said. "We need Unit-05 after all."

"Yes. The beings Nagisa warned us about are already arriving," Seele-10 said. "We thought we had more time."

"It is very fortunate you weren't so lax," Seele-09 said.

"That doesn't matter, now," Seele-01 said. He remained composed, but was more upset over this turn of events than the others could have possibly been. "We must strike swiftly."

"Yes," Seele-02 agreed. "Send in Unit-05 immediately."

Seele-01 watched everything quietly as the order was issued. He cursed the boy inside the cockpit. With each passing moment, control was slipping out of his hands.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Tabris smiled as he received the order to move in. He would have anyways.

"The lilin want us to join the fun," he said to his Eva.

Unit-05's joy was obvious. It wanted to fight.

"Yes, this will be fun, won't it?" he asked. "No sense in holding back."

Tabris extended his AT-Field, and melded it with Unit-05's. Its wings split into three pairs, and the freshly unleashed angelic Eva shot down towards the Earth.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:14**

**- Guardian Angel -**

* * *

Unit-03 fell to the ground violently as more and more cross beams from the behemoth hammered it's AT-Field. Toji could do nothing but tense every muscle in his body, and pray desperately that he'd survive.

"Increase support fire!" Misato shouted over the com. "Get him out of there!"

Toji winced as another blast violently shook his cockpit. Through the front view screen, he watched as waves of fighter jets launched missiles , which harmlessly exploded against the monster's AT-Field. More and more cover fire blanketed it with explosions, but countless hexagons appeared, forming a perfect defensive sphere from all of it.

"Damn, that thing is a fortress," Misato said over the com. "Toji, can you get out of there?"

"I'll try," he replied, glad that the creature had momentarily stopped firing while its AT-Field busily deflected the projectiles coming in from all angles.

"Try to get to the container we brought over," Misato ordered.

"Alright," he replied

Slowly, Toji got Unit-03 up, and looked around for the container. He caught site of the giant metal container not too far from where he was, and ran to it as quickly as he could get his Eva to move.

As Unit-03 moved, the creature stopped and turned to track it. It slowly turned as Unit-03 made its way to the large metal tower, still holding its fire as its AT-Field repelled the barrage of fire.

More and more missiles and artillery fire hammered at the hexagonal shields that shifted and rotated to absorb every collision. While the support had gone unscathed until now, that quickly changed as the creature's eye began to glow brightly and it fired upon them.

At once, the shields paused their shifting, and opened a small hole in front of the creature's eye. The beam fired, but unlike a cross beam, this one did not explode. Instead, it cut into the ground, and moved up to cut a line that tore through a group of tanks and AA cannons with ease. As the creature continued to track Unit-03, it fired more of these beams, clearing the ground of obstacles between them.

"Damn, they're too close," Misato cursed. "Pull them back!"

The tanks and other vehicles all back away slowly, firing as they went. With no more fire coming from the front, the creature ignored the rest, and set its gaze on Unit-03.

When Unit-03 got to the case, Misato ordered it to be unsealed. The giant locks on the case hissed as they opened, and the front plate dropped to reveal a cache of weapons.

"Arm yourself," Toji.

"Got it," he said.

Unit-03 grabbed the two machine guns and aimed his sights on the creature that was staring at him with its single red eye.

"Remember to conserve your ammo," Misato advised him. "We don't know where, or if this thing has a core."

"Got it," Toji said.

The cover fire halted, cuing Toji. He pressed the triggers on his control sticks, and both guns started firing.

The once spherical barrier of hexagons shifted to form a solid wall of shields to deflect the bullets from Unit-03's guns.

Toji grit his teeth, and focused as best he could. His arms felt like they were holding the guns as their muscles vibrated from the gun fire.

"Check your fire!" Misato shouted. "You're all over the place!"

Toji stopped firing, and gave his targeting retinas a chance to center on the target. Before he could fire, though, the hexagonal shields spread, and creature fired its cross beam.

"Damn!" Toji cursed and tensed his whole body.

Unit-03's AT-field absorbed the attack, to which Toji was grateful.

Not wanting to become a sitting duck again, Toji quickly got Unit-03 up and running. He fired quick volleys from his guns as he ran, but all of the shots bounced off of the shields, which had resumed shifting and rotating to reform a sphere.

The support vehicles also resumed firing, trying to distract the creature, but it tracked Unit-03 closely. As Unit-03 circled around it, it brought the support vehicles into the creature's view. Ignoring Unit-03 for a moment, the creature effortlessly dispatched the smaller threats with its red cutting laser, and even used its cross beam a couple of times to take care of the fighter jets and other aircrafts.

Large portions of the military base were now on fire, as the creature wreaked havoc as it tracked Unit-03. The black Eva could do nothing is it avoided the beams from the red eye, and more vehicles and buildings exploded. It wasn't long before a red cutting beam sliced through the umbilical cable connected to Unit-03's back.

"Power cable has been severed!" the man at the front console shouted.

"Only four minutes of internal power remaining," another said.

Underground, in the temporary command center, Misato was watching as more and more blips vanished from the tactical display. On the monitor next to it, Unit-03's timer counted down.

"Is there any word from HQ?" she asked.

"Unit-01 is en route," someone reported. "ETA six minutes."

Misato watched the monitors nervously. Their defenses were being decimated, and Unit-03 was being ineffective. To make matters worse, Unit-03's internal power was counting down. At this rate, they couldn't hold out that long.

"Ma'am, we have another AT-Field detected," the man at the main console said.

"What now?" Misato asked.

"The pattern is... blue," the man said.

"An Angel?" Misato said in disbelief. "Confirm second AT-Field," she ordered. "Recheck the results."

Before anyone could answer, the com channels crackled static and then music filled the command center.

Misato felt herself go cold. The sound of _Dies Irae_ was unmistakable.

"It's him" she said.

Toji also heard the music in his cockpit, and looked up to see the white wings of Unit-05 descending quickly.

The creature also took notice of the angelic Eva, and its gaze shifted skyward. As the Eva neared them, the creature fired its cross beam.

Tabris smirked and his AT-Field easily absorbed the cross-beam. He had been expecting the attack. He knew this enemy wouldn't be able to resist his presence.

"Hehe," Tabris laughed. "It seems our friend is as eager as you are," he said to his Eva.

Unit-05's reply howled in Tabris's mind. It was a mixture of joy and hunger for the challenge.

"Don't worry. Far be it from me to disappoint a guest," he said.

Tabris focused his mind into Unit-05. The white angelic Eva howled as landed, and immediately fired its own cross-beam back at the creature, which blocked the beam with wall of hexagons.

The temporary command center shook as the cross-beam exploded against the AT-Field. It all happened so quickly, Misato wasn't exactly sure what had just happened.

"Did he fire at it?" she asked.

"Affirmative," the man at the front said.

"What's going on?" Misato wondered, but then remembered that Seele had agreed to cooperation. Why they had Unit-05 stalking the test site was a question she would need answered, however.

In front of them, on the main view screen, the angelic Eva moved in to do battle with the creature.

Next to Misato, Ritsuko watched nervously. Her understanding of beings with the blood-type red was limited to unconfirmed theories, and she'd need to consult the Magi before she could be sure of anything. The presence of Seele's Angel, however, and the creatures attention shifting to it, pointed at those theories being correct. They were witnessing the battle of Heaven and Earth becoming the battle of Heaven and Hell.

_But then what was it that attacked us before? _She wondered. Back then, the Magi had been unable to determine the creature's blood type.

"What's going on?" Toji asked over the com.

Toji was at a loss for what was happening. All of a sudden, he was no longer a part of the battle. He stood in the flames and watched as the creature he had been fighting turned to face Unit-05 in its angelic form.

"Toji, get out of there," came Misato's voice over the com.

"What?" he asked. Was he supposed to retreat?

"We need to take advantage of this opportunity," she said. "Return to the cache, and get the positron cannon."

"Alright," Toji said.

As Unit-03 slowly backed away towards the weapons cache, the creature and Unit-05 squared off.

The two fired their cross-beams simultaneously, creating a massive explosion unlike any seen before. As the beams met, they swirled around each other for the briefest second, and then exploded into a giant cross that burned across the ground, rather than upwards. Smaller crosses of red and white light shot into the sky from the large explosion, ripping apart everything unfortunate enough to be in their reach.

Toji braced himself as the explosion threw his Eva violently. Over the com, he could hear Misato and other's checking in, and was glad that they were still safe underground. Rolling back to Unit-03's feet, Toji saw the cache, intact, just a few hundred meters away.

"Almost there," he said.

Toji made his way to the cache, and turned around to make sure he wasn't being fired on.

The creature and Unit-05 were still busy with each other. The white Eva was now standing on top of the creature's spherical AT-Field, and ripping at the hexagons like a feral animal.

Tabris felt so much energy coursing through his body as he tore at the layers of Hexagons. Unit-05 felt more powerful than ever while fighting the creature. He met its beams with his own AT-Fields, creating a virtual stalemate that gave him flashes of genetic memory.

"As impressive as I had hope," he said.

Unit-05 pierced the last layer of hexagons with its hands and slowly ripped it open. With the enemy vulnerable, Tabris charged his Eva's cross-beam, but before he could fire, new layers of hexagons moved underneath him and flung him off when they shot outward like a spring. As Unit-05 was thrown off, its cross-beam fired harmlessly against the AT-Field.

"Mmm, perhaps more impressive than I imagined," Tabris noted as the creature prepared to fire.

Unit-05 erected a wall of hexagons to block the red cutting beam, and then fired its cross-beam back to strip away layers of shielding.

Tabris contemplated how the battle was going. The creature still had countless layers of shielding left rotating and shifting to keep every possible angle covered. He always knew he couldn't win in a straight battle of fire-power, but was interested in testing the limits.

The creature advanced on Unit-05 when a volley of powerful explosive shells hammers it from the side. Tabris glanced over to see that Unit-03 was now armed with a positron cannon, and firing at the creature's AT-Field.

"Such a waste," Tabris sighed.

Toji grit his teeth and pulled the trigger each time his crosshairs centered on the target. He couldn't discern any effect, but kept firing the cannon in hopes it would pierce the AT-Field.

"No effect," someone reported on the com.

"Nothing seems to work," Toji growled.

"The target's changing its course. It's moving towards Unit-03!" the same man shouted.

"Get out of there Toji!" Misato cried.

Before Toji could react, the creature's cutting beam fired at him. He raised his AT-Field, but his unpreparedness, paired with his in-experience, produced a weak barrier that the beam sliced through. With a visible cut in the octagonal shield, the creature's cross-beam fired at shattered it.

Toji felt his whole body burning as the cross-beam blew through his AT-Field and scorched his Eva's armor. He shut his eyes as the light of the explosion nearly blinded him.

Toji didn't know how much time passed while his eyes recovered, but when he could see again, the creature was practically on top of him.

"Get out of there!" he could faintly hear Misato shouting over the com.

Toji wanted to move, but froze in place as the creature took up his entire view screen. His Eva shook gently as it passed through the creature's AT-Field. Once he was through, his ears were filled with the strangest noise. It sounded like a crowd was surrounding him.

Toji fought to concentrate despite the noise. He was inside the AT-Field, meaning he could freely strike at the creature. But he could not get his Eva to move. The countless voices overwhelmed him, and he remembered that multiple minds interfered with Eva synchronization.

The creature now bore its red eye down on the Eva, glaring into it eyes. Toji stared back, and felt like his mind was being invaded by another.

"Lilin," a low, throaty voice bellowed through the crowd in Toji's ears.

The creature's eye seemed to widen, and its pupil shrank. Its piercing gaze was focused directly on Toji within the cockpit.

Suddenly, the eye retreated as the creature raised itself. Toji tried again to move, but was still unable to coax the Eva.

The creature kept the Eva pinned down within its AT-Field, and turned to set its gaze on Unit-05. It gave the white Eva the same quizzical look, and Toji heard the voice utter "Angel..."

Tabris did not make a move with Unit-05. He gazed back at the creature, and waited for it to make its move. He could sense its mind probing him, sensing what he was.

"It must know by now," he said, assuming that the creature now realized both Adam and Lilith had bore children on this planet.

The creature seemed to consider Unit-05 a few seconds longer, and then gazed back down at the paralyzed Unit-03. Tabris suspected it was confused.

"That's right," he whispered. "There's more going on here than you thought." At that moment, Tabris felt something else nearby. There was no mistaking the unique presence of Rei Ayanami.

The creature also took notice, and stepped to the slightly ruined bunker where Rei had been hiding during the battle.

The bunker had been blown open during the battle, and it was now being evacuated. While everyone else ran and shouted for others to follow, or report to specific areas, Rei remained behind. Several soldiers had looked at her, and called for her to run, but none stayed any longer once the creature set its sights on their area.

Rei stared at the creature without any emotion on her face. She could sense something strange when she looked at it. It was like a very distant memory, but of what, she couldn't quite figure out. She had never seen anything like this creature before... or had she?

The creature's red eye gazed at Rei closely. She could feel the creature probing her, touching her mind. It then reached deeper, to what felt like the center of her being, and suddenly retreated quickly.

Rei felt the creature's presence completely leave her mind. She watched as the eye widened and the creature stepped back like an animal that had just seen a fire spark.

"Nephilim!" the low voice cried.

The creature suddenly let out a shrieking cry. It stomped backwards, and raised its AT-Field to form its defensive sphere. It looked back down at Unit-03, then over to Unit-05, and again at Rei. The creature began to quiver violently, and the hexagons of its AT-Field started spinning around it.

Tabris and Rei could both feel it, but even Toji could see that, for whatever reason, the creature was now panicking.

"Getting a strange reading coming from the target," a man said over the com. "Its AT-Field is increasing!"

Toji watched helplessly as the creature shrieked, and its AT-Field expanded in all directions, like a bomb had gone off. The field spread quickly, engulfing the entire base. Everything was torn apart as the AT-Field ripped through them with more force than an N2 bomb. Tanks, VTOLs, and the buildings of the base all turned to ash and debris as the AT-Field consumed everything.

Toji, inside of Unit-03, was spared the onslaught, having been within the AT-Field when it exploded. It was a good thing, because as it started, his power reached zero, and everything went dark. Tabris and Rei were not as lucky.

Tabris formed layers of hexagons into a wall to absorb the impact of the AT-field. The explosive force shattered through several layers of shielding, but they ultimately withstood the brunt of the attack, leaving Unit-05 unscathed.

Rei saw the coming AT-Field. She felt the creature's crazed shriek in her mind, and felt its desire to destroy, to kill. She recalled the flashes of images of the world set on fire, and felt something inside of her burn. A strong instinct deep in her heart shouted for her to survive, to live.

Rei glared at the exploding AT-Field defiantly. The fire in her heart sent tingles of electricity through her body, and she extended her AT-Field without conscious thought. The massive octagonal shield flashed brilliantly when the AT-Field collided with it, and easily protected the girl.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

The temporary command center shook like an earthquake was happening. The control consoles and monitors all sparked, and cracked as the force of the explosion hit them like an EMP. When everything settled, the room was dark, except for a single red blinking emergency light.

"Status report!" Misato shouted.

For a few seconds, people tried in vain to work the computer consoles while others retrieved emergency flashlights. Misato watched the blank screens, hoping something would come up, but nothing ever happened.

"All systems are down," someone said.

"Everything?" Misato asked.

"Yes ma'am, we're down," the man said.

"What about back-up systems?" Misato asked. She hoped something would work, since the emergency light was.

"Not getting anything on the back-ups either," the man said. "The equipment itself must be fried."

"Damn," Misato cursed. "We need to move, now!"

Everyone got up, and prepared to file out of the room. While some of them were Nerv employees, many of them were military personnel from the base.

"Everyone with me!" Misato ordered.

Everyone followed Misato out of the room and through the empty halls. Voices and footsteps could be heard in all directions. Shadows passed by the blinking red emergency lights.

Misato looked in every direction, but there was no sign of anything working besides the emergency lights, and even some of those were down. From the looks of things, everyone was attempting to evacuate the base, but she couldn't run. She had to see the battle through, and hoped that Unit-01 was almost here.

"Who knows the way to the surface?" Misato asked.

"I do, ma'am," a soldier said from behind.

"Get us out of here," she ordered

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

In the command center at Nerv HQ, Fuyutsuki frowned. They had uplinked to cameras at the military base to watch the battle proceedings, but everything had suddenly cut off.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Unknown," Hyuga said. "Not getting anything over standard channels."

"Sir, the satellite feed is showing a massive explosion," Aoba reported.

"Put it up," Fuyutsuki ordered.

The image of the military base appeared on the giant view screen at the front of the command center. It was almost completely consumed by a massive explosion of some kind.

"What is that?" Hyuga asked to no one in particular.

"It's impossible to tell from the satellite," Maya said. "And we're still not getting anything from the base."

The explosion finished on the satellite feed, leaving behind a smoking crater where the base had been. Inside of it, the small images of Unit-03 and 05 could barely be seen, along with the creature that was attacking.

"Getting anything?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Negative," Hyuga reported.

"Aircraft? Bunkers? Anything?" the commander elaborated.

"Negative..." Hyuga reported. "It's dead down there."

Elsewhere in Nerv HQ, in Unit-02's cockpit, Asuka was clenching her control sticks tightly. While she couldn't see what the people in the command center saw, she could hear them talking over the com. What they said, made her very uneasy.

"Shinji..." she barely whispered.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shinji was just about to reach the military base test site when a bright flash nearly blinded him. In the distance, he could see a massive explosion, and feared the worst. Hoping he was in range, he clicked on his com channel.

"Misato!" he shouted. "Misato, it's Shinji!"

There was nothing but static on the other end along with a blinking video window that said "No connection".

"Still out of range?" he wondered out loud.

Shinji doubled his efforts, and launched Unit-01 into a wild sprint. As he neared where the explosion had happened, he attempted to contact the test site again, but was again met with static. This time, Shinji knew he was in range, and felt fear creeping into his mind.

At last, Shinji reached the edge of the base. What he saw, made him gasp.

The entire base had been leveled, leaving rubble, twisted metal, and smoking debris scattered everywhere. Unit-03 lay dormant near the center of the crater, beneath a giant black creature with a single red eye. The only other sign of life was Unit-05, its six wings spread in its angelic form.

Shinji saw Unit-05 and choked on the memories of the battle he had fought with it. The rage he had felt, the fear that gripped his heart, and the twisted clone of Kaworu Nagisa smiling sickly at him. He wondered if he was the one that had initiated the attack.

Nearly numb from the shock of what he saw, Shinji clicked on his com to an open channel and spoke as best he could.

"This is Shinji Ikari... Is anyone there?" he asked.

Static replied. Again, Shinji clicked his com.

"Anyone, please respond!" Shinji begged.

Shinji's heart started to pound in his ears. He was deathly afraid that everyone, Toji, Misato, Ritsuko, and Rei were all dead.

"No..." Shinji muttered. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that they were all dead.

Shinji hastily clicked on his com, switching the channels. All of them returned static with the same "No connection" message. With each channel, his fear and despair increased, until they reached a breaking point.

At once, Shinji stopped cycling the com channels. He couldn't think of anything, except the loss of his friends. Last time Unit-03 had been activated, he nearly lost Toji, and that alone was enough to send him over the edge. This time, it was more than Toji, and it burned him that much more.

_Revenge!_ His mind cried out. _Revenge!_

Shinji let himself go, and cried out with his fury. He felt Unit-01 take his rage, and harness it. The Eva became a perfect extension of himself, and they moved as one.

In the distance, Tabris watched the display with a satisfied smile. He could feel the power of Unit-01 spiking.

"And now, the last piece for our little game has arrived," he said and looked at the creature. "So what will you do now?"

Rei could also feel Unit-01's, and Shinji's, power emanating. The power, and the emotions behind it compelled her. Something within her found it so alluring, but she didn't understand why.

"Ikari..." she whispered as Unit-01 howled, and its eyes glowed brightly.

The creature had sensed Unit-01's arrival, and was watching it closely. What it sensed was no different than the black one, so it had paid it no mind, until it howled. The surge of power, and change in its AT-Field brought its red eye whipping back to gaze upon the horned Eva. What it sensed sent the creature into another panic, and it met Uint-01's roar with its own shrieking cry.

Tabris watched amused as Unit-01 rushed at the creature.

The black monster fired its cross-beam, but the shot couldn't pierce the Eva's AT-Field. With Unit-01 closing in, the creature raised its AT-Field, reforming the sphere of hexagons.

Unit-01 slammed into the front layer of shields and smashed through them with powerful strikes from its fists. More hexagons moved to replace those that were lost, but Unit-01 was slowly advancing with each layer it stripped.

The creature tried frantically to keep its shields between it and Unit-01, but could not repel that savage attacks. When its last layer was breached by Unit-01 ripping it in half, it hastily fired its cutting beam, and struck the Eva in the chest.

Shinji growled at the burning on his chest. The pain was intense, but nothing he hadn't felt before. He endured the pain, held the At-Field open with Unit-01's arms. Digging deep into his rage, Shinji raised the Eva's right leg and gave a fierce kick to the creature's eye, and pierced it.

The creature cried in pain as its eye was pierced by the Eva. Blood sprayed from the wound, and it fired its cross-beam reflexively. The explosion violently threw Unit-01 away.

Shinji cursed and spun his Eva around to land on its feet. He got his bearings back, but before he could do anything, he was hit with another cross-beam.

The creature fired its cross-beam recklessly, striking Unit-01 again and again. The explosions melted and scorched the Eva's armor plating, blanketing Shinji's body with pain.

Shinji groaned and cried as the pain spread. He grit his teeth, and focused. He was the only one there that could fight. If he failed, Asuka would be all that was left. Shinji didn't want that. He didn't know if it was fear of death, or something else, but the thought of it made him determined to win.

Biting back the pain, Shinji forced his eyes open to see the creature firing on him. He focused his will, and in between shots, raised his AT-Field. An octagon of orange energy appeared, and Shinji expanded the field, sending the shield flying at the creature.

The creature could not react to the move, and fired its cross-beam right into the AT-Field when it was right in front of it. The explosion threw it backwards onto its back. The creature quickly rolled to its feet, and fired its cutting beam defensively. Unit-01 dodged the attack by rolling, but was unable to get to its feet as the creature kept firing at it to keep it back.

Shinji growled as he was forced to retreat. He watched helplessly as the creature crawled away as it fired on him, and then retreated into its spherical AT-Field shell. By the time he got his Eva to its feet, the creature had started to ascend rapidly.

"Where the Hell does it think it's going?" Shinji wondered.

"It's going to take a message back to the others," came Tabris' voice over the com.

Shinji saw Tabris's face appear in a little video screen in the cockpit and glared.

"You," he hissed.

"You can relax," Tabris said lightly. "You're not the one I'm here for."

Tabris glanced at the fallen Unit-03 and smiled. Things had played out even better than he had hoped. To all sides involved, things should be much clearer now. As for him, he also had come to understand a few things he had been curious about. There was just one last piece of business to attend to.

In the rubble of the military base, Tabris could feel it. The unmistakable presence of a lance. He could hear it crying out for release. He looked over to the weapons cache, and smiled contently.

"How nice of you to bring one with you," he said.

Unit-05 held out its hand, and at once, the blade was summoned. The back panel of the massive container blew open, and the double edged sword flew to Unit-05's hand. With a simple tightening of its grip, the Eva morphed the sword into a lance of Longinus.

"What say we help it along with its message, mmm?" Tabris asked his Eva.

"What?" Shinji asked, dumbfounded.

Unit-05 replied to its brother with a knowing grin. Tabris focused, and the white Eva took aim at the retreating sphere.

The creature's retreat had been swift, with it already ascending beyond the atmosphere. Where it was going, no one but Tabris knew.

Tabris waited as the creature continued to ascend. He needed to time his throw perfectly, or the message wouldn't reach its destination. When the sphere began to move in a different direction, away from Earth, he made his move.

With a mighty lunge, Tabris and Unit-05 sent the lance soaring like a javelin. The lance zipped through the atmosphere and towards the sphere faster than any man-made object could. The creature had begun to travel faster, now that it was out of the Earth's gravity, with the lance barely catching it. Slowly, the tips of the lance ripped through the AT-Field like it was paper, and the weapon pierced the creature.

The creature cried in pain as the lance slowly ripped through its body. It was torn in half as the blades cut completely through it. Blood exploded out of the creature as the lance did its damage, which froze almost instantly in the cold blackness of space.

While the lance continued on its path, the creature floated lifelessly in its wake. The two moved together away from the Earth, vanishing into the expanse of outer space.

Tabris smirked as the tiny speck of light that was the creature's AT-Field vanished. He sensed its soul rupture, but not die, and was pleased with his aim.

"May you deliver the message post haste," he said.

Tabris admired his work. He sensed Rei's gaze on him and looked down on the girl.

"Moving along nicely, aren't you?" he asked, even thought he had no com connected to her. He knew the girl could hear him, if he was correct in thinking her development was advancing.

No answer was given, no change in her mind. She just gazed back at him with contemplative eyes. Tabris was a little disappointed, and turned to leave as a group of people surfaced and ran to the silent girl.

"Until we meet again," he said to no one in particular. His job was done.

Unit-05 spread its wings and prepared to take flight. Before it could leave, however, Shinji tackled it with Unit-01.

"You're not going anywhere!" Shinji hissed.

Tabris groaned slightly as the cockpit rocked from Unit-01's attack. He hadn't been paying attention, but found this action amusing.

"You should know when to let things be, child!" Tabris said.

Unit-05 rolled to get Unit-01 off of it and got to its feet. It pushed against Unit-01, gripping its hands with its own. The two Eva's fought for the upper hand, but remained in a stale mate tug-of-war.

"You're going to pay," Shinji hissed. He was still furious.

"Not today, Shinji Ikari," Tabris smiled in the com screen.

Shinji nearly choked on his rage. Hearing that voice say his name brought back memories of a much more pleasant person, one he had considered a dear friend. It also brought back memories of the deepest betrayal.

"You..." Shinji tensed suddenly pulled back his control sticks.

Unit-01 and pulled Unit-05's arms, and brought the white Eva slamming into it. The two Evas glared at each other, and bore their fangs. Feral growls were exchanged as the two continued to fight for control of each other.

"Shinji!" Misato's voice suddenly said over the com.

Shinji was shocked out of his drunken fury. Had he really just heard Misato over the com, or was his mind just playing tricks on him?

"Shinji, stand down!" came Misato's voice again.

"M-Misato?" Shinji replied nervously. He was afraid he'd look and it'd all turn out to be his imagination.

"It's me, Shinji," she insisted. "I'm down here."

Shinji glanced down and saw Misato waving to him. She was with a group of people, including Rei and Ritsuko. A few of them were tending to some portable equipment they must have been using to contact him.

"You're alive," Shinji said, still in shock.

Shinji's concentration faded, and so did Unit-01's fight. The Eva became limp in Unit-05's grip, and fell to its knees.

"Humph," was all Tabris said as he released Unit-01.

Unit-05 let Unit-01 go and walked past the now dormant Eva. It spread its wings once again, and glanced over at the other Eva.

"Next time," Tabris said. His tone was warning.

Unit-05 flapped its wings and flew away. Once it had gone, sighed with relief.

_We survived, somehow, _she thought to herself. She glanced over to Rei and wondered how the girl had gotten to the surface, and completely unscathed. In the heat of the battle, Misato was ashamed to admit she had forgotten about the girl, and focused entirely on Toji in Unit-03.

Misato then turned to look at the powerless Eva and sighed. They had been so defenseless, and she had a sinking suspicion things weren't going to get any easier.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Kraus observed the aftermath of the battle from his hiding perch. The battle didn't disappoint his expectations after what he had learned from his research. The Evas were indeed powerful, and a marvel to behold in combat.

The man put down his binoculars and rubbed his chin. He had collected a lot of data through the special scopes on the binoculars. AT-Fields, blood types, and of course the video itself. What he had recorded troubled him.

He had expected the Angelic form of Unit-05. That information had been divulged to him. What he hadn't expected, was that creature that appeared with the red blood type. He hadn't come across any such thing in the notes he had been given concerning Evas and Angels. That wasn't the only thing he had to worry about either.

Kraus looked through his binoculars again, setting his sights on Rei Ayanami. He had seen it with his own two eyes, and his binoculars had recorded it. The girl had used an AT-Field.

"Very interesting indeed," Krause said to himself.

He continued to watch, and wonder, as the young girl just gazed up at the sky.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka stood impatiently behind the front door of her apartment. She had just spent over half the day sitting in Unit-02 on standby. She had spent that time sitting, listening, dreading over the battle. She could do nothing, see nothing. The entire time, her mind and heart were stricken with increasing fear, and when it had ended, that fear simmered into frustration.

After everything had ended, Asuka was subjected to more waiting. Hours had passed since she had been released, and gotten home. The moon had risen long ago, and was all that illuminated the apartment. Asuka hadn't bothered to turn on any lights. She didn't even notice it was nearly pitch black. For the past few hours she had waited, alone, with nothing to do but think about everything.

Asuka hated how powerless she had been. She hated how it sounded like everything was falling apart, and Shinji was thrust into an impossible situation. She hated having to listen as everything was described in fragmented details, and left to fill in the rest with her imagination. Asuka couldn't help what her imagination came up with. It had conjured the most horrible images as the reports of explosions, burning buildings, AT-Fields, and damage had come in through the com.

Asuka clenched her hands into fists. She was shaking from what she was feeling, and she was going to unleash it when Shinji got home. She wasn't going to let him get away.

At last, the door to the apartment opened. Light flooded the apartment from the hallway and revealed the silhouette of Shinji.

"I'm home" he announced innocently.

_So calm, _Asuka thought. She couldn't believe him sometimes.

"Hey, Asuka," Shinji said, noticing his roommate for the first time. "Misato's probably not coming home tonight. She's got a lot of work to do," he explained as he closed the door.

Asuka didn't pay attention to what Shinji said. She looked at him in the darkness, and just let herself go. She was so upset, she was sure she was going to smack him good.

"You idiot!" she cried.

Shinji leapt back as Asuka advanced with her balled fist.

"W-what?" Shinji asked.

"How can you just come home and act like everything's alright?" Asuka asked.

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked back.

"What do I mean?" Asuka asked in disbelief. "Are you stupid!"

Shinji growled. He hated it when Asuka insulted him like this. It was like she expected him to read her mind.

"Just tell me what the Hell your problem is!" he shouted back.

"My problem? My problem!" Asuka asked incredulously. She had reached the brink, and went teetering over the edge. "Alright, I'll tell you what my problem is!"

Shinji gulped and pressed his back against the door. He was expecting her to just slap him and storm off, but now she was really going to let him have it.

_Stupid, stupid, STUPID! _he mentally slapped himself.

"My problem is you!" Asuka pointed at Shinji.

Shinji cowered against the door, and felt a pain welling in his chest. He had always known Asuka's rage had something in it for him, but to hear it so bluntly hurt more than he thought it would.

Asuka started to tremble. She wanted to stop, but could no longer hold it back. She thrust her finger into Shinji's chest and glared at him with tears threatening the rims of her eyes.

"You walk in, not a care in the world," Asuka said shakily. "Completely oblivious to how anyone else might feel!"

Shinji was speechless. He had no idea where Asuka's fury was going.

"Do you have any idea what it was like?" Asuka asked. She jabbed her finger into Shinji's chest again. "Do you know what it was like for me sitting there, powerless, while you had to fight alone?"

"Uh... yeah, I do..." Shinji said softly. He only knew all too well what it was like to be forced to sit and listen while others had to fight, and lose.

"No, you don't!" Asuka shouted. She started to tremble harder. Her emotions couldn't be contained any longer, and she lost control of her tears. As they started to run down her face, she pounded on Shinji's chest. "You don't know I feel at all!"

Shinji was numb to Asuka's fist pounding on his chest. He tried to understand, but couldn't. He had no idea what was going on in Asuka's mind. All he could go on, is how he felt after things like this happened. He remembered how he had felt when Asuka's mind had been raped. He had wanted to do so much for her back then. Now, as this same girl beat on his chest, succumbing to tears, he felt that same desire.

Without a word, Shinji put his hands on Asuka's shoulders. The girl continued to tremble, but stopped hitting his chest. He waited patiently, but Asuka would not look up to him.

"Asuka," Shinji said softly.

Asuka still did not look up at Shinji. She couldn't. After letting herself go like that, she just couldn't bring herself to let him see her face.

Shinji slid his hands towards Asuka's neck and titled her head up with his thumbs. He saw the pain in her eyes, and felt it spreading into him. He felt he could understand her now, and wanted nothing more than to make it all go away. He said nothing, and pulled Asuka into a hug.

Asuka cried into Shinji's chest as she felt his arms circle her. She couldn't fight anymore. Her body was tired, as was her mind. She felt Shinji's warmth, and let herself get lost in it. As she finally began to calm, she raised her arms and returned the embrace.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Crammed a bit more into this chapter than I had originally wanted to, but it's tough trying to touch on all bases of the story to keep things together. The next chapter will explore some of the mysteries hinted at as this story has developed.

Music Selection:

Battle with the creature: "Enemy of my Enemy is My Friend" from the Modern Warfare soundtrack, written by Hans Zimmer. I really like this piece for combat in a hopeless situation.


	15. 1:15 Red : Herz und Seele

"We can no longer deny, what we have been told," Seele-02 said to the other members of Seele as they met in their usual tablet form.

"The data collected by Kraus confirms everything," Seele-04 said.

"Time, is running short," Seele-03 said.

"And yet, time still remains," Seele-01 insisted.

"We must move quickly, if we want to secure our future," Seele-08 said.

"Funds are already being moved," Seele-02 said.

"Production of the Eva Series must advance quickly," Seele-07 explained.

"Which is why Project Abel must step up its efforts," Seele-12 said.

"Project Abel has already received the order," Seele-11 said.

"Now, we need answers," Seele-02 said grimly.

A light in the center of the circle of tablets illuminated, revealing Tabris. The boy was standing much like he always did, with his hands at his sides, as if they were in pants pockets. He looked up at Seele-01 with his usual smile.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:15**

**- Red -**

**By: OmegaGear**

* * *

Rei opened her eyes slowly to the sounds of construction outside of her apartment. She had just had the strangest dream. At least, she thought it was a dream. She couldn't be sure about these sorts of things, since she wasn't sure what dreams exactly were.

Trying not to think about it, Rei got up from her bed and stretched. She looked over to her alarm clock and saw that it was almost time to leave for school.

As the girl got dressed, she couldn't help but wonder why she bothered going to school.

"It is necessary," Commander Ikari said as a memory flashed in her mind.

"It'll help with your development," Doctor Akagi had said in another flash.

Rei thought about that last flash. Back then, their idea of her development had meant something very different to now. Back then, everything was a means to an end. They had been preparing her, like a pig to the slaughter. Now, after rejecting their grand design, what did she have to develop?

"Moving along nicely, aren't you?" she remembered hearing Tabris say in her mind.

Rei rested her forehead against her hand as her mind reached some kind of block. She couldn't quite understand what the boy had meant, or how she was even able to hear him.

Lots of things about yesterday confused Rei. Looking at Unit-03 brought some very strange memories that she didn't think belonged to her past lives. And then that creature that had probed her mind. It had called her a Nephilim. She didn't know what that meant, and yet, the creature had felt vaguely familiar to her.

Rei struggled to try to figure things out. Everything was swimming around her head, and she felt like she was close to putting them together, but there was something missing. Something else, something very important, was creating a blank spot in the puzzle.

Rei sighed and started to get dressed for school. She didn't like how her train of thought was making her feel, and decided the normalcy of a high school student would better suit her today.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

The morning at Misato's apartment started like any other day. Shinji woke up early, washed up, and began preparing breakfast and lunch for the day. Asuka woke up a half hour later, and did her own morning ritual before coming out to sit and eat the breakfast Shinji had prepared. Unlike most days, however, Asuka had a lot on her mind.

The previous night had ended in an emotional haze for Asuka. She remembered losing it, and yelling at Shinji, and then him embracing her. That embrace had been so calming for her. She'd never felt so safe before as she had during that hug. That night, she slept amazingly well, considering how frayed her nerves had been most of the day.

Upon waking up though, Asuka wasn't sure what to expect. A line had been crossed last night, and there was no denying it. Asuka knew that once lines were crossed, it was hard to go back. She wondered if Shinji felt the same way about such things.

"Good morning, Shinji," she said as she started to eat her breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast.

"Good morning, Asuka," Shinji replied.

Asuka listened to Shinji's tone closely. He sounded as normal as ever, which was a good sign.

Shinji finished scooping their lunches into a pair of bentos and then joined Asuka at the dining table. He had also been thinking about what had happened last night, and was as anxious about it. He didn't know what to expect from Asuka.

"Still no Misato, huh?" Asuka asked as she noted a third setting was missing.

"Nope," Shinji answered.

The continued in silence for a minute, which sparked Asuka's frustration. While them eating in silence wasn't strange, it was in fact the norm, she couldn't help but feel the silence was awkward that morning. Asuka didn't want the whole day being like this, so she decided to put her foot down.

"So, Shinji, about last night," she said and waited for him to pay attention.

Shinji swallowed the food in his mouth and put down his fork. He didn't think this conversation would come so soon.

"I... just wanted to thank you," she said nervously.

_Stupid!_ Asuka mentally slapped herself. She couldn't believe she just lost her figurative balls.

"Oh," Shinji said, his disappointed obvious. He didn't look up when he spoke to Asuka. "It's no problem."

"W-wait! Let me start over!" Asuka said hastily.

Shinji remained silent, and listened.

Asuka clenched her teeth and thought over her words. She didn't want this becoming a source of some kind of rift.

"I meant to say, that meant a lot to me," she said finally.

Shinji still didn't look up at Asuka, much to her disdain.

"You're not going to make this very easy, are you?" Asuka asked through clenched teeth.

"When was anything ever easy?" Shinji asked back. He sounded colder than he meant to be.

Asuka's eyes widened at the bitterness that Shinji spoke with. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Shinji didn't speak at first. He didn't know exactly what he meant, and why he had said it. When he thought about it though, things really never had been easy between them. He had always assumed it was because Asuka simply didn't find him worthy of any standard she had, and resigned himself to simply keeping things civil. Now that the can had been opened, however, he doubted settling for civil would work anymore.

"It's just that, things have always been hard between us," Shinji said. He was surprised he was able to keep his voice so steady. "For the past year, you've never been very nice to me. I put up with it. At first, I thought it was because I had to. Misato had made it clear we had to learn to live together, so I did. But lately..."

Asuka was speechless as she listened to Shinji lay it all on the table. She felt like she had just been slapped in the face with the way Shinji was talking. He just bluntly said she treated him poorly, in his eyes. There was clearly some underlying anger waiting to get out, and she was the cause of it.

Shinji wanted to say more. He had a lot on his mind, but didn't think he would be able to control himself if he continued giving the details. Something inside of him told him he had said enough.

"Look, just forget about it," he said.

"What do you mean 'forget about it'?" Asuka asked.

"Just forget about it," Shinji repeated. "It's okay."

"No, it's not okay!" Asuka shouted.

_Oh great, now she's yelling,_ Shinji thought. Everything was turning out like it always did.

Asuka saw the look in Shinji's eyes. That look he got whenever they butted heads. She remembered how that look used to make her feel, competitive. This time though, she just wanted it to go away.

"You can't just ignore what happened," she said sternly.

"I don't intend to," Shinji replied. He wasn't going to let her spin this on him.

"Good, because I don't either," Asuka said smugly.

"Fine!" Shinji shouted.

"Good!" Asuka shouted back.

"Great!"

"Wunderbar!"

The two teens had both stood up at this point and leaned on the table. They were glaring daggers into each other's eyes, neither willing to back down. They didn't notice how close their faces had gotten. Asuka finally noticed she was mere inches from Shinji, and nearly jumped back, but kept her ground.

"You were saying?" she asked.

Shinji was now caught off guard again. "I, uh.." he chocked.

"If you don't tell me... I'm going to fill in the rest myself," she warned with a smirk.

Shinji gulped, but could not find any words to speak. He gazed into those eyes that gazed back with untold emotions, and wondered what kind of doom awaited him. He couldn't help but think, at least with the Angels he knew what was coming.

Asuka waited expectantly for Shinji to finish, but no answer came. She felt her frustration boiling. She had hoped her hints would coax an answer out of Shinji, but now she was at a loss for what to do. Truthfully, she had no idea where she was even going with that threat. With nowhere left to go, Asuka let out a heavy sigh.

"A-Asuka?" Shinji asked nervously. He wondered why she had sighed like that.

"Make it easy," she said softly.

"Huh?" Shinji asked. He wasn't sure what she had said.

"Just say it," she said. "It's as simple as that."

"Why do I have to be the one to say anything?" he asked. He was becoming stand-offish again.

"You're the one that did it," Asuka answered bluntly with an intense glare.

Shinji choked on his breath. She had him there, and there was no way he could argue against it. He _was_ the one that initiated the hug, and should be the one to say why he did it. Now cornered, Shinji bit the bullet.

"I care about you," he said gently.

They were both silent for a moment as Shinji's words hung in the air. Asuka heard them echoing in her mind loudly as if they had been shouted, rather than whispered. Once the echoing had stopped, he saw Shinji had sat back down in his seat, with his eyes downcast. Asuka found herself wondering how long she had zoned out, and then realized it was her turn to give an answer.

"I care about you too," she said. She felt her face flush slightly, and sat down before she collapsed.

Again, silence fell on the room. Neither said a thing, until Shinji succumbed to the discomfort in his throat and coughed to clear it.

Shinji's cough woke Asuka out of her daze, and she stood up.

"We'd better get going," she said.

"Right," Shinji replied.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ritsuko let out an exasperated sigh. She had been working nearly non-stop since yesterday. Her regular work load had already been heavy enough, but now she had to do pilot examination reports, because of the battle, as well as Commander Fuyutsuki's personal requests. To make matters worse, the issues brought up by the last battle had required her to dig up a lot of old notes, most of them belonging to Gendo and Yui Ikari's time in Gehirn.

The doctor had spent the last couple hours looking through those research notes, double checking on what she remembered. Everything she believed was confirmed by what she read. She could only hope the theories were incorrect.

The sound of Ritsuko's door opening caught her attention. She spun her chair around, and was not surprised at all to see Commander Fuyutsuki standing there with his hands crossed behind his back.

"Good morning, commander," she said.

"Good morning, doctor," he replied.

"I assume you're here for my reports," she said.

"Are they ready?" he asked.

"They're not written, but I'm ready," she said.

Fuyutsuki nodded. He didn't think the doctor had had enough time to type up her reports, but would be more than ready to talk about what she thought about everything. Things had become more urgent, so he was prepared to listen and discuss things in a much less official manner.

"Did you learn anything from the notes?" he asked.

"Only what we already knew," she answered. "I also double checked the results with the Magi. They concluded, with 99% certainty, that the blood pattern was red."

"A god-like being," Fuyutsuki murmured, barely able to believe it.

"If our theories are correct, yes," Ritsuko said.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Ritsuko glanced down at the notes she had been researching, and thought about everything they said, and everything she had witnessed. Everything seemed to match up, but this was also supposed to never have happened this way. There was never supposed to be anything beyond the Angels.

"I don't know what to think anymore," she said.

"And what of Misato?" Fuyutsuki asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I don't know about her either, but if I had to wager a guess, we can trust her," she said. "And it's my professional opinion that we can't afford not to."

"Just like that?" Fuyutsuki asked. He didn't like such loose answers.

"Just like that," Ritsuko said. "She's been sniffing around anyways. It's best to get her on our side, by throwing her a bone."

"And just how big should this bone be?" he asked. He didn't want to give too much to someone he wasn't sure they could trust.

"Not very," Ritsuko said. "She asked about the S2 engines, and Unit-03. We can give her that much."

Fuyutsuki contemplated giving that information to Misato. He had to admit, it was an interesting enough piece of information that the major would find very insightful. It would undoubtedly answer a lot of her questions, and how she reacted, would go a long way in determining her reliability.

"That will be acceptable," he said.

Ritsuko nodded and returned to her notes. She knew there was more to talk about, but didn't want to give anything, unless Fuyutsuki asked. She hoped she got more time before having to answer anything else, but had no such luck.

"What about Rei?" the commander asked. "You mentioned she had another incident."

Ritsuko sighed. She knew this was coming, and of all the topics, it was the one she had the fewest answers for.

"That's correct," she said. "It happened a couple days ago."

"You've had plenty of time to look into the matter," he said.

Ritsuko lifted her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. She really didn't know what to say about Rei Ayanami.

"We created Rei for a specific purpose, with a specific time in mind," she explained. "Everything we knew, depended on that time table. Rei is past that time frame. I can't even begin to tell you what will happen now."

Fuyutsuki didn't like this answer at all. He had been left largely out of Rei's dealings, since Gendo and Ritsuko had kept it all rather close to the chest. He had no idea what really happened that day in Terminal Dogma, but the end result was just one of many rather large mysteries. Remembering that day caused the older man to glance down at Ritsuko's left arm, which was still in a sling from her gunshot wound.

In truth, Fuyutsuki had always meant to question Ritsuko about what happened in Terminal Dogma, but the situation didn't allow for it. He couldn't jeopardize the bigger picture just to satisfy his curiosity. Gendo himself hadn't brought it up, so Fuyutsuki would wait to cross that bridge when he came to it, at least for now.

"I'm depending on you when it comes to Rei," he said. "If she can't be controlled, she may become a risk."

"And if she does..." Ritsuko couldn't bring herself to say it. She had grown so tired of the heartlessness with which Gendo's plans could treat a living person. It also ate away at her to realize she had been a willing part of that.

"Terminate her," Fuyutsuki said flatly. He didn't like the idea of having to kill someone so thoughtlessly, but he couldn't risk Rei becoming a threat. It was important for them to keep her under control.

"I understand," Ritsuko said.

"That leaves just one other matter to discuss," Fuyutsuki said.

Ritsuko didn't look at Fuyutsuki. She knew what the last topic was, and had to suppress her groan.

"Doctor Akagi, I know things between you and Ikari were... personal," the older man said delicately. He had never been given any details about their relationship from either person, but Fuyutsuki was no fool. Being part of the trio that kept all of their secrets about Gendo's plan lent itself to certain behavior between the two others.

Ritsuko did not respond to the comment, and remained sitting with her back slightly turned to Fuyutsuki.

"I realize things must be rather... difficult right now," he continued slowly, making sure to think his words through. "But I need you to remain objective in regards to Ikari's health. We can't afford to lose what he has."

Ritsuko tensed at the thought of helping the former commander. She had fulfilled her duties as a doctor thus far, but with each passing day, her resolve dwindled slightly. She despised the man she was forced to care for.

"Don't worry, I won't forget," she said without turning to look at Fuyutsuki.

"That's all I wanted to talk about. Good day, doctor," Fuyutsuki said and nodded.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

The walk to school passed by much like it always did for Shinji and Asuka. The two walked quietly, finding nothing to say on their way to another day of boring lessons. The difference was unspoken. Unlike days of the past, the two were silently mulling over things to themselves.

Shinji felt uncomfortable during the entire walk. He had heard what Asuka said, but her behavior since said otherwise. Asuka's silence was eerie. It was obvious that her mind was occupied as they walked, and that's what made it so unsettling for Shinji. He wondered if she was regretting what she said. Rather, he was worried she did. Shinji was dreading a backlash.

Asuka was also worried about a backlash, but her fears rested on Shinji. While she knew she admitted her own uncertainty, the last thing she needed was Shinji retreating to his shell, and only complicating things for her.

Asuka glanced back at Shinji a few steps back and saw the thoughtful expression on his face. She wondered if he was as lost as she was. If he was, she knew better than to expect him to lead the way. Asuka knew Shinji was dependable in the face of combat, but personal matters were another story. Steeling herself, she made sure to keep things from standing still.

"Hey, Shinji," she said and waited for him to catch up to her.

Shinji reached Asuka and looked at her, but said nothing.

Asuka looked into Shinji's eyes, and felt herself blush again. She wasn't used to this kind of confrontation either.

"I meant what I said," she said.

"I did too," Shinji said and averted his gaze as he also blushed.

Asuka saw Shinji blush and found herself feeling even warmer in the face. She felt overwhelmed by what was happening, and wished they had time to figure some of it out. They did not, however, so Asuka fought to regain her composure.

"Well, let's hurry before we're late," she said while brushing her hair behind her ear.

Shinji nodded and they quickened their pace. The conversation her given Shinji a spring to his step, as he now felt weightless. Before he knew it, they were entering their school and swapping their shoes at their lockers.

When they got to their class room, Shinji felt his mind clear slightly. Now that there were others around, he found it just a little easier to ignore Asuka. Just a little. While his eyes and ears had other things to focus on, his sense of smell was still very much filled by Asuka's perfume. He was glad when Asuka went to Hikari, who was waving her over, and gave him some distance. Now free, he wandered to where Toji and Kensuke sitting.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

Toji was not in his usual leisurely position with his hands behind his head. Instead, he was hunched over his desk resting his forehead on his right hand.

"I've been better," he said.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Shinji asked.

"Nah, I'm fine," Toji said. "Just tired. They kept me in that hospital forever to make sure I was ok."

"Get used to it," Shinji said jokingly.

"It can't be all that bad," Kensuke said. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he still very much wanted to pilot an Eva like his friends.

"Piloting, maybe, but the long hours in hospitals is really not for me," Toji said.

"That reminds me. Now that you're officially a pilot, you'll have to do regular check-ups to monitor your ability to pilot," Shinji said with the slightest grin on his lips.

"Ugh, I thought I spent enough time in the hospital already," Toji groaned in reference to his daily visits to see his sister.

"How is she doing?" Shinji asked. He knew that had to be what his friend, and now fellow pilot, was referring to.

"She's doing good," Toji said. "I didn't get a chance to see her yesterday, though. Gonna have to make up for it today."

"Well, say hi to her for me," Shinji said.

"Sure thing," Toji said with a smile.

While the three stooges and the rest of the students continued to chat before classes started, Rei sat alone at her desk by the window. She had been listening quietly to the many conversations, picking on topics that seemed to be important to the people around her.

As usual, much of the chatting revolved around girls and boys, and who people liked, and whether they were going to say anything. Rei listened to these conversations happening almost every day. She wondered what drove this obsession with relationships and what they called love.

Of all things, that emotion perplexed her the most. She thought about the memories from her past life, and the feelings that she had personally experienced. In ways, they resembled what the people around her discussed, but she still didn't understand. Was what she felt love?

That was a question Rei found herself asking a lot these days. She couldn't deny that there was something attracting her to the son of commander Ikari, but she also wondered if that was due to his own designs. Everything about her life was a mess of memories, conditioned thinking, and now the voice of the soul she possessed. Rei just wasn't sure if what she felt was even her own feelings, or something else.

While Rei continued to listen, and think, she unknowingly was scribbling on her desk. Her eyes were completely blind to the image she was now beginning to scratch into the surface from having repeated it so many times.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato drank her coffee in large gulps as the meeting with the senior staff went on. She had barely gotten any sleep in her office the previous night, and was already on her second cup for the day. She was glad that most of the material being covered was stuff she already knew, but now they were on the subject of analysis of the battle.

"After checking with the Magi, it is confirmed that the blood pattern was red," Ritsuko said.

This is what Misato had been waiting for. That term had been itching the back of her mind all night, but she hadn't been able to recall what it meant, or find any information on her own.

"What does that mean?" Maya asked.

"The red classification is based on a set of parameters, rather than any sort of direct research," Ritsuko explained. "Based on theories from research on Adam during the Katsuragi expedition, and Project-E, the red pattern signifies a god-like being."

"A god-like being?" Hyuga asked.

Misato flinched from what she heard. The Katsuragi expedition. So her father's research had something to do with this.

"Yes. something beyond the angels," Ritsuko said. "As you know, we've been fighting to prevent an Angel from contacting Adam, and initiating third impact. Our theory is the being born from that contact would possess the parameters for the red classification."

Ritsuko watched Misato closely as she gave the half lie. She wasn't sure how much Misato knew about the being in Terminal Dogma, but was aware that Kaji had shown her it in secret. The truth was, the being was in fact Lilith, and it was contact between a Lilith born being and an Adam born being that resulted in what she was talking about.

"So that thing we fought yesterday..." Hyuga couldn't finish what he wanted to say.

"Could very well have been our destruction," Ritsuko finished.

"But, Unit-05 destroyed it with the lance," Aoba said. "Satellite images confirmed the target has gone silent."

"Silent, but not destroyed," Maya elaborated. "It didn't disintegrate, as if the core had been struck, if it even has a core."

"Even if it had, that lance wasn't a true lance of Longinus," Hyuga said. "Maybe it can't destroy... whatever this thing is."

"And what makes you think the real thing could have?" Aoba asked.

"It doesn't matter," Misato said before Hyuga could say anything. "The real lance is forever lost on our moon, and the copy seemed to be effective enough."

Misato clicked some keys on the computer and changed the images on the table screen in the middle of their circle. Images of the creature, its AT-Field, and the lance piercing it popped up.

"It easily pierced the AT-Field where other weapons, and the Evas themselves failed," Misato said. "It severely damaged the target, maybe even destroyed it. It's the best we've got."

"The lance was brought as an absolute final option," Fuyutsuki cut in. "We're still not sure if they're safe to use, but this battle gave us some important data."

"So what do we do?" Maya asked. "Besides the lance, things went pretty badly."

"We continue on as we always have," Fuyutsuki said sternly. "We prepare to fight for our survival against the worst you can possibly imagine."

"Speaking of which, what's the status of our Evas?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko flipped a page on her clipboard and sighed.

"They could be better," she said. "Unit-02 is just about finished repairs, but that fight set back Unit-01 quite a bit. Unit-03 also sustained considerable damage."

"Step up your repair efforts," Fuyutsuki ordered. "I don't care about any budgets, just get what we need. We can worry about the bill when there's nothing else to worry about."

"Yes, sir," Maya replied and scribbled the note down. It was going to take a lot of long hours to get everything in order without accounting for the costs, but she knew it could be done.

"As for the lances... I still want them sealed," Fuyutsuki said with a stern look in his eyes. "I allowed one to be present at Unit-03's test after careful consideration of information provided to me. At present, I do not want us to actively include them in our defense strategies."

Everyone voiced their understanding of the commander's decision. Misato was actually grateful for what he had said. That meant their current defense planning would just be the norm, and one thing she didn't really have to worry about, since it was second nature to her. Everything else was of great concern to her.

"Sir, if I may ask," Misato said and waited.

"Go ahead, major," Fuyutsuki said.

"This red blood pattern," she said, returning the meeting to their new enemy. "What's our official story."

Fuyutsuki's eyes were like steel with his resolve as he measured the major. He knew they couldn't hide the truth from the media for long, no matter how hard they tried. Something this big was prone to too many rumors, speculations, and loose lips. It wouldn't be long before a measure of truth would be preferred to the fear laden fantasies. For now though, they would keep up appearances.

"It was an Angel," he said sharply. "Plain. And. Simple."

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**

**Revelation 1:15**

**- Herz und Seele -**

* * *

Tabris basked in the LCL pool he was submerged in for his daily regeneration. Events were going as he thought they would, clearing up much of the puzzle in his mind. He smirked when he remembered how the old men had taken the information he'd given them. He closed his eyes and thought back to that meeting, remembering each detail perfectly.

In the meeting chamber, he was surrounded by the twelve Seele monoliths. They had wanted to speak to him once he returned to Germany in Unit-05 after what they claimed was a complete disaster. While they had bickered, Tabris simply smirked at Seele-01, and wondered how the old man was taking things.

"Kaworu Nagisa, your information thus far has been quite telling," Seele-02 admitted. "But the lack of certain details leaves much to be desired."

"I gave the answers you asked for," Tabris answered smugly.

"You always insist on being so withholding," Seele-08 hissed. "Your predecessor would not have been so trifling."

"Trifling, is that what you think I am?" Tabris asked coolly. "And tell me, what exactly do you think of my predecessor? He didn't tell you any of this at all."

The twelve black monoliths were silent at Tabris's words.

"Ah, that's right, you never suspected such secrecy from your obedient little sheep," Tabris answered for them. "The blind shepherd following its sheep."

"We are not here to discuss your predecessor's failure to divulge this information," Seele-06 said. "It is you who will answer our questions."

"So ask me the question," Tabris dared them.

"This... thing... what was it?" Seele-03 asked.

"It's name is billions of years old," Tabris said. "I cannot recall the language any longer. You would call it a progenitor."

"Impossible!" Seele-09 cut in. "The progenitors were wiped out. You said so yourself!"

Tabris turned to look at 09 and frowned at his incompetence.

"Think hard, lilin," he said coldly. "I told you what you already believed. Adam and Lilith were sent to seed life on other planets. They did this, because of the civil war their creators were involved in was threatening to destroy them."

"Do your words not imply the obvious?" Seele-10 asked.

"In every war, there is a winner," Tabris said flatly. "Tell me... do you really think it's so unbelievable that some progenitors won?"

Again, the monoliths were silent. Such an idea had never ever occurred to any of them. Their plans had always assumed the progenitors wiped themselves out, and their seeds of life were a last attempt at preserving life through new species. Hints in the Dead Sea Scrolls had lead them to these conclusions.

When no one spoke, Tabris took it upon himself to continue. If they were so stunned, he'd just explain it all.

"Genetic memory," he said. "The history of the progenitors was instilled in Adam, and passed on to me. The war of the progenitors had been going on for centuries by the time they conceived of the plan to preserve life."

Tabris held up his right hand and raised two fingered before continuing.

"In an attempt to prevent a repeat of their own war, they split their genetic code into two separate lines," he explained. "You already know this as what you call Adam and Lilith. They believed that by splitting the seeds of life and knowledge, no beings equal to them would arise, and their fate would not repeat."

"We already knew all of this," Seele-07 said.

"You believed," Tabris corrected. "Now, you truly know."

"So what of this war then? If the progenitors created these seeds, why try to destroy them?" Seele-02 asked.

"Who said the surviving progenitors were from the side that created the seeds?" Tabris asked the obvious question. "If you know the enemies you had just snuffed out had taken steps to ensure their survival, how ever vicariously, would you not make sure to finish the job?"

The monoliths remained in silent contemplation. Each of them was arriving to the same conclusion on their own, the horror dawning on them one at a time. Tabris had told them an undeniable truth, now that the pieces were all there.

"So... this creature... wasn't one of the progenitors that created us?" Seele-09 asked.

"Perhaps," Tabris said and smiled. He wasn't going to make it that easy for them.

"Are they, or aren't they?" Seele-01 asked, finally speaking for the first time.

Tabris glanced up at his "father" and gave him his usual smirk. He could sense Keel's frustration. He was winning their little game, even if they didn't realize it.

"I cannot say for certain," he said.

"What?" Seele-02 asked accusingly.

"I said their history was passed on to me, which was done before the war ended," he explained.

"But surely you would know the state of the war at that point, and its probable victor?" Seele-12 asked, his tone slightly desperate.

"Perhaps, but not for certain," Tabris answered. "Even if I were to favor a side, I can't decipher which one has come."

"These questions are pointless," Seele-01 cut in. "It's obvious the progenitors that created us haven't come to destroy us."

"Oh, you assume too much, and forget what you already know," Tabris said.

"How so?" Seele-01 challenged the boy.

"You already know you're in a very unique situation the progenitors had never planned on," Tabris said.

"Indeed, the existence of two seeds of life on one planet, Adam and Lilith," Seele-02 elaborated.

"Our Dead Sea Scrolls did include details of their plan, and how the seeds worked, as well as what would happen if two existed on the same planet," Seele-03 added.

"Yes, your Dead Sea Scrolls explained what would happen if two seeds existed on the same planet," Tabris echoed, as if they had missed something obvious. "And it did happen. The lance sensed what was happening, and subdued Adam, as it was made to do in such a case. And then you pulled it out..."

"So you're saying, this is our fault?" Seele-06 asked.

"I'm saying you changed the scenario," Tabris answered.

"Yes, and we planned our own scenario," Seele-01 said. "We knew what we had done, and we knew what we were doing."

"Yes, you knew that once you woke up Adam that the scenario in the Dead Sea Scrolls would play out," Tabris admitted. "The children of Adam would seek out Lilith in an attempt to cleanse the planet, and restart the cycle with them as the new species."

"And we prevented it, to ensure our own survival," Seele-01 said.

"You prevented one scenario, yes," Tabris baited them.

"One scenario?" Seele-02 asked.

"Are you suggesting that there's more?" Seele-04 asked.

"Impossible! The Dead Sea Scrolls were clear!" Seele-08 said.

"One scenario, one outcome," Seele-07 said.

Tabris looked up at Seele-07 and tapped his finger on the side of his head, signaling it was all in there.

"As I said, your creators wanted to ensure beings equal to them weren't created," he reminded them. "They had always considered the possibility, however."

"What do you mean?" Seele-02 asked.

"I mean that no matter what you may think, it was never as simple as your Dead Sea Scrolls made it seem," Tabris answered. "Your progenitors knew what would need to be done, if their worst fears came true."

"How would you know what they planned beyond what they instilled in Adam?" Seele-05 questioned. "You said Adam contained their history."

"The creations of the seeds of life required a lot of time, and a great sacrifice," Tabris said. "One life, to donate its soul. Adam's soul. This soul remembers. It knows what will be done."

"But you do not have a soul," Seele-04 reminded him. "And what you did have, was lost by your predecessor. Only a fragment remains in you."

"Which is why I cannot be certain," Tabris said. "I only have small pieces."

"Then we are at a greater disadvantage than we thought," Seele-01 said.

"Not if you bring me what I need," Tabris said. This was it. His trap was set.

"What you need..." Seele-02 muttered. They all knew what Tabris was asking for, but didn't know how to get it.

"Yes, bring me Adam's soul," Tabris said.

"Your soul was lost," Seele-01 insisted. "All that is left, is within you."

"No," Tabris said with finality. "I can still sense it. It is still very much intact."

None of the members of Seele spoke. Tabris's words had cast serious doubts about a lot of things they had thought they knew about.

"If you're all so lost on the subject, perhaps you should ask Gendo Ikari about it," Tabris said and left.

Tabris really wished he had stayed to see how the old men responded to that. He knew just how much Gendo Ikari pulled at their strings, and poked their buttons. He really wondered why his predecessor had been so against enjoying such theatrics.

Letting out a contented sigh, Tabris remained in his LCL pool. All he had to do was wait, and let the lilin do the rest.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Misato couldn't hold in her tired groan as she stepped off of the elevator. She'd lost track of time so long ago, she wasn't even sure if it was still the same day, or if she had somehow missed another night's sleep.

_I am definitely putting in a vacation day tomorrow, _she thought.

At least, Misato hoped she could put in for some vacation time. She needed sleep badly, and some time to think freely even more. Sighing, she realized such hopes were just that, hopes. Reality was far too bleak at the moment to allow for such hopes to come true.

Groaning again, Misato took a large gulp from her coffee. She slumped as she walked through the halls of Nerv, on her way to speak with the commander and Doctor Akagi about something important.

_Everything has to be so damn important. What could they possibly want to talk about now?_ she wondered.

Misato was nearing the chamber for the meeting, and decided it was time to finally wake up. She slammed back the rest of her coffee and stretched out her aches before stepping through the door.

Inside, Misato saw Commander Fuyutsuki and Doctor Akagi were already standing and discussing something quietly. Fuyutsuki was standing with his hands behind his back, like they always were, while Ritsuko held her ever present clip board in her right hand while her left remained in a sling. Once they had realized the door was open, they turned to look at Misato.

"Close the door, major," Fuyutsuki ordered gently.

Misato did as she was request and joined the pair in the room. It was dark, with a large projection on a screen at the front. She immediately recognized the image as a proto-type design of an S2 Engine.

Once the major joined them in the center of the room, Commander Fuyutsuki turned to address her.

"The doctor informs me you were asking about Unit-03 and its lack of an S2 Engine," he said.

Misato lost all sense that she was tired and immediately stiffened. She knew she was poking her nose around when she had asked, but was starting to wonder if she had been too overt with her snooping.

"Er, yes, sir," she answered with forced calm.

Fuyutsuki studied the major's face. He could see a mixture of fear, curiosity, and alertness. That was good. As long as she understood the seriousness of what was about to be discussed, he could trust her to at least tread carefully.

"This is a matter that also caught my attention, and one the doctor and I feel needs to be discussed with you," he continued.

Before Misato could say anything, Fuyutsuki turned and addressed the image on the screen with his right hand.

"What is on the screen, major?" he asked.

Misato returned her attention to the image and thought over her answer carefully. She had to be sure to consider any possible motives behind the questions, and information they were looking for in her answers. What she saw, however, was pretty obvious. It showed a black sphere with several seams where it was bolted together. It couldn't be anything else, except what she remembered. For now, she would keep it simple and to the point.

"It is a design for an S2 engine," she answered.

Fuyutsuki clicked a button on the table next to him and replaced the image on the screen. What was shown was an image of a perfect red sphere that glowed gently.

"And this?" he asked.

"It's an S2 organ," she answered.

"Very good," Fuyutsuki said and clicked on the table again. "And this?"

Misato saw the picture of Unit-01's chest showing a dormant S2 organ. It was a surveillance camera image from when it was fighting the 14th Angel. Back then, she had wondered where it had come from. After a lot of digging, and answers from Ritsuko, she had decided it had happened while Unit-01 was trapped in the 12th Angel, some kind of mutation.

"It's Unit-01, with a dormant S2 organ in place of its core," she said.

"I'm afraid you're wrong," Fuyutsuki said.

"Sir?"

Misato didn't understand what he meant. She looked over to Ritsuko, who just returned a very serious gaze. There were no lies masking Fuyutsuki's words.

"What you are looking at is Unit-01's original core, major," Fuyutsuki explained. "It's core was always an S2 organ."

"I don't... I don't follow," Misato said honestly. She thought it was impossible to replicate S2 organs, which was the reason for S2 engine research in the first place. She had always believed that the cores in their Evas that predated S2 engines were the best duplicates that they could make at the time.

"From the beginning of Project E, Gehirn had started research on creating S2 engines, claiming that creating S2 organs was impossible," Fuyutsuki explained. "That wasn't entirely true."

Misato was silent as she took in what was being said. She wasn't sure what all of this meant.

"Bear in mind, all of this was done before the commander and I joined Gehirn," Ritsuko cut in. "Our knowledge is limited to what Commander Ikari, and my mother divulged us with, along with their personal notes."

Misato nodded, understanding that their personal experience may not be that great. Ritsuko took Misato's nod as her cue to continue.

"The truth is, it was initially believed that recreating S2 engines was in fact impossible," she explained. "Do you remember that grave yard of lost Evas below Central Dogma?"

"The one where Gehirn's original research and test facilities were located, yes," Misato said. She had to stifle her shudder at remembering the graveyard of massive half skeletons.

"Yes," Ritsuko confirmed her answer. "That is where they tried to create the first Evas using the proto-type cores, however, as you can probably guess, those tests never survived very long."

"As it turned out, the mechanical cores could not supply the blood circulation and energy needed to sustain life," Fuyutsuki said. "So the Ikaris, along with Doctor Akagi's mother, began researching a new, different means of creating Evas. It was at this point, that they had convinced me to join Gehirn. It took almost two years for them complete their first sample, Evangelion Unit-01."

At this, Misato gasped. She suddenly realized why it was designated the Test-type. It was testing an organic core instead of a mechanical core.

"The preliminary results were promising," Fuyutsuki continued. "Unlike the mechanical core models, Unit-01 survived its full growth, as did the other experimental unit in Germany. There was just one problem, the cores were dormant."

"Just like I saw during the battle with the 14th Angel?" Misato asked.

"Not exactly," Fuyutsuki said. "When Gendo and Yui first embarked on this research, they had an understanding of what it would take. The organic cores were very much like S2 organs, save for a single difference, the lack of a soul."

"A... soul?" Misato was really moving out of her element now. She of course had heard the rumors, and come across the strange dead ends in her own investigating, but it just sounded too unreal. Even after Ritsuko had talked about Rei's clones being soulless vessels.

"Yes, without a soul, the Evas wouldn't be able to function," Ritsuko said. "Their research pointed to no alternative, and they began researching methods of creating artificial souls, copied from a human subject during what we call a contact experiment."

Misato remembered hearing about that term while she was in Germany. She recalled how Asuka's mother had been involved in Unit-02's experiment, but it had supposedly gone horribly wrong. Back then, she hadn't yet considered any sort of conspiracy, and just let it slide, since it had happened so long ago.

"Candidates were chosen carefully for the experiments," Fuyutsuki said with much effort. He hated having to relive these days in such detail. "Extensive research was conducted to ensure the success of the contact, and enable work on synchronization to begin."

Fuyutsuki paused for a moment. He remembered the pain he felt at the what happened next, and had to fight to remain under control. He decided, at the last second, not to identify the test subjects, as they were not necessary details.

"The tests were a success, and the two sample Evas received their souls, but at a price," he said. "You see... as it turned out, copies were not made. The subjects used in the contact experiments lost their souls, and died."

Misato was speechless. It sounded horrifying. Sacrificing people in such a direct way in order to create weapons. Even if they were volunteers, it was still appalling that they'd even go through with it, especially beyond the first time.

"Did they... did they have any idea it would happen like that?" Misato asked.

"No," Fuyutsuki lied. He couldn't tell her that all along, theories pointed to complete soul absorption.

"Okay," Misato spoke slowly. She had to strain herself to keep under control. The contact experiments back fired, she could accept that. Somewhere, deep down, she always knew that, considering what she had read about Unit-02. "That... explains Unit-01 and I'm assuming 02... but what does this have to do with Unit-03?"

"Unit-01 and 02 are special," Fuyutsuki said, temporarily ignoring the question asked. "Their creation was ordered by Seele. However, research was still being done on the S2 engine, as the Ikari method of building Evas was impractical. Unit-03 and 04 were originally built before S2 engines were successfully designed. You already know the result of trying to replace an organic core with the engine."

Misato recalled the detonation of Unit-04 that consumed Nerv's second branch in America and nodded.

"From that point, Evas were built using the S2 engines from the start, eliminating any need for a contact experiment, and an artificial soul," Ritsuko explained. "The dummy system provides all the needed brain patterns for functioning."

Misato crossed her arms and thought about what had been said. The two had just revealed a wealth of information she didn't think she'd be able to get on her own, no matter how far she dug. Still, she could sense details were being kept secret from her. Certain things just didn't sit well with her.

The commander's use of the term "impractical" just didn't sound right. And she found herself wondering who were the people used in the contact experiments, and what it meant for pilot selection. One was at least Asuka's mom, but had it been a success? She wondered if this had anything to do with all of the candidates being in the same high school class.

"Okay, so you're saying that Commander Ikari and his wife, and Ritsuko's mother all worked together to design a different type of Eva under orders of Seele," Misato half asked half stated.

"That is correct," Fuyutsuki replied.

"And Unit-03 and 04 were designed the same way, but now that S2 engines have been proven, the Eva series that Seele is building are made differently," Misato said, again half asking.

"Also correct," Fuyutsuki answered.

"So what does this have to do with Unit-03 now? Why was the new one made without an S2 engine?" she asked. She also wanted to pry about the pilot selection, but decided against it. She knew when to take what you can get.

"Until recently, we couldn't be sure," Ritsuko said. "Pilot selection shouldn't be an issue with the new S2 engine design, as there's no longer a soul the pilot must be sympathetic with in order to synchronize."

Misato nodded and hid her smile. She just might get her answers on pilots anyways.

"When Unit-03 was defeated we salvaged what we could for use in future repairs of our own Evas," Ritsuko said, although she knew Misato already knew that. "Amazingly, its core was completely intact."

Misato's eyes went wide. Things were starting to make sense.

"To put it simply, the new Unit-03 was designed using the Ikari method, somehow, and received either the old core through a transplant, or the soul from it," Ritsuko said.

"What do you mean 'somehow'?" Misato asked.

"She means that Seele was unaware of it," Fuyutsuki said. "Gendo Ikari has managed to do it without them knowing. As to why, I cannot say."

"How could Seele not know?" Misato asked.

"That's what I'm wondering myself," Fuyutsuki admitted. "It's hard to believe they'd miss something so big and obvious. The fact that the dummy system didn't function, and they couldn't find a pilot during any testing should have been a big tip off. More than likely, they have their suspicions, and are watching very closely."

"Is there any chance of them causing trouble?"

"I doubt it," Fuyutsuki said. "If it was of that big of a concern, they never would have let us have it. And whatever Gendo was planning for Unit-03, he can't go through with it now. The current situation with the threat of attack may also have something to do with it. They're probably as nervous as we are. One thing is clear. We can't let our guard down. This was either an oversight by Seele, or part of their plan. Either way, I don't want any surprises on our end."

Misato rubbed her chin. It did make sense, but she'd have to be extra careful from now on. The situation reeked of a conspiracy, but the players weren't clear. On one side was Nerv, and the other was Seele. Then there's the third player, the unknown entities that have started appearing. Now, it looked like there could be a fourth player.

"So, you mentioned pilot selection. Why wouldn't they be able to find a pilot in America? What do you mean by sympathetic?" Misato asked, feeling she was now justified.

Fuyutsuki squinted at the questions. He hadn't planned on revealing this information, but knew it was at risk when explaining the S2 engines, and what made them different from the older Eva cores.

"Synchronization involves the pilots bonding with the Evas, even if they are not aware of it," Ritsuko said. "The stronger the bond, the better the synchronization. A special bond, was devised to be necessary for functional synchronization."

"A special bond?"

"A strong bond, such as family," Ritsuko said. "Such as... a mother and their child."

Now, Misato was truly at a loss for words. The weight of the sacrifice involved with their Evas had been laid bare for her to see. Shinji, Asuka, and now Toji, had all lost their mothers in order to be able to pilot Evas, and they didn't know. She hadn't known. No one did. What was she going to do? Could she ever order them to pilot again knowing what it took? How could she keep this a secret?

Fuyutsuki watched the major struggle with her thoughts on what she had just learned. This was the moment that would determine if he could trust her like Gendo had trusted him and Ritsuko. If Misato could accept this, and continue to do what must be done, she would learn so much more. If she couldn't, she would become a liability.

Misato fought with the information swirling in her mind. She now understood so much more, but had that much more to hide. She'd feel the guilt of these secrets every time she looked at Shinji and Asuka at home. She'd have to endure the pain of knowing how much they were robbed of every time they entered their Evas. She would have to hide just how twisted and sick Shinji's father was whenever Shinji was forced to deal with him in any way.

_Is it right for me to do this? _she wondered. _Can I do this?_

Misato thought about the alternatives. More than likely, telling anything to anyone would mean her life. If not by Fuyutsuki, then by Seele. That was simply out of the question. She could keep the secrets for the sake of her life, and Shinji and Asuka's safety in her care. Perhaps someday, she would be able to tell them the truth, and support them, but for now, she could shoulder the burden of secrecy.

So, the only real question was if she could handle the guilt. Would she be able to perform the same way knowing what was really going on? This is what troubled Misato. She already hated sending children out to battle. Knowing why they were chosen made it that much sadder. Still, she knew she had to endure it all. She wouldn't trust anyone else, especially now.

Misato knew what she was going to do, and could feel Fuyutsuki's eyes on her. She now realized that her job, and life, could be at stake over what she said. Truthfully, she wanted to punch him. She wanted to slap Ritsuko. She wanted to let them know how despicable they were for going along with such an idea. She couldn't, however. She had to go with the lesser of many evils, for the sake of the greater good.

"I understand," she said as calmly as possible.

"That's good, major," Fuyutsuki said. "It's important that you understand what makes our Evas so different than the new ones, and how that may come into play against our new enemies."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"That is a matter for future discussion. As it is, we're not really sure about anything," he explained. "You are dismissed."

"Understood," she said and turned to leave, but then stopped. "One last thing, sir."

"Yes, major?"

"What about Unit-04?"

Fuyutsuki paused to think. That was another thing that made him wonder just how far Gendo's plans went. Unit-03, in a way, made sense to him. He probably wanted another pawn to use. Unit-04, though, was a mystery, as he was certain it would be destroyed during the S2 engine test, and hadn't said anything afterwards.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I'm going to find out."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"The twelve members of Seele floated in their usual circle. After their interrogation of Tabris, they had convened to deal with their various responsibilities around the world, and to think over what to do next. Things on the surface were simple enough. Increase funding to defenses, and step up work on the Eva Series. Such actions required little political manipulation.

Behind the scenes, however, some very delicate decisions needed to be made. Tabris had made it clear to them that Gendo Ikari knew something important involving Adam's soul. Exactly what that was, they were not sure. The man they had entrusted Nerv to had proven to be very conniving, and invisible in much of what he did. They had obviously been far too lax in their watch over him.

"The necessary changes in our current operations have been scheduled," Seele-01 said.

"Which leaves only one topic for discussion. Gendo Ikari," Seele-02 said.

"We allowed him to sit in his place on the sidelines, because of recent events," Seele-05 said. "Perhaps we should have been more assertive in dealing with his betrayal."

"Assertiveness had nothing to do with it," Seele-10 said. "Gendo Ikari is in no condition to be of any use now."

"His condition, is not of concern to us," Seele-01 said. "What he knows, does."

"And just how do you intend to acquire that knowledge?" Seele-02 asked.

"We have our options," Seele-01 said grimly.

"Be that as it may, we must first possess the man," Seele-08 said.

"We must be careful," Seele-02 warned. "Taking him by force is out of question, for now. We don't even know what we're looking for."

"Nagisa was not very clear, as usual," Seele-04 said with obvious frustration.

"That brings into question the wisdom of providing what he has requested," Seele-03 cautioned.

"Do not forget, we still control him," Seele-01 said. "Any difficulties Nagisa may introduce will be swiftly dealt with."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Asuka was laying in her bed quietly, listening to the sounds of Shinji's cello while he practiced. While she felt a nagging desire to practice her violin with him, she didn't feel up to it. She had spent most of the day in deep thought over what was happening between her and Shinji, leaving her a mixture of tense nerves, and an exhausted mind. Luckily, she was able to play it off at school. For once, she was glad being a girl gave her a trump card excuse for strange behavior.

_I wonder how Shinji feels about everything that's happened?_ she wondered.

Shinji, as far as Asuka could tell, didn't behave any differently. Sure, whenever they interacted, he was bit bashful, but overall, he didn't seem to be too caught up with it like she was. Asuka wasn't sure if that bothered her, or not.

Asuka groaned into a much needed stretch. She wondered what was holding her back. She thought about how she would have dealt with this in the past. If it were a year ago, she would have taken charge. In fact, she had been when she dared Shinji to kiss her back then. While she still felt that same boldness at times, it didn't seem to be there with Shinji. And yet, she wouldn't call it fear either.

Asuka wasn't afraid of approaching Shinji. She felt anxious, sure, but it was from a strange excitement, not fear. It was this strange sense of excitement that silently told her to hold back and wait. It was this feeling that Asuka was trying to figure out.

The sound of Shinji's cello stopped from outside Asuka's door. The redhead turned to look over as she heard what sounded like Shinji putting away his instrument followed by his soft footsteps. It wasn't until he knocked on her door that Asuka finally snapped to attention.

"What is it?" she stammered.

"Are you hungry?" he asked through the door. "I think I'm going to start cooking now."

"Uh, sure, thanks," she said, not really thinking about whether or not she was hungry.

Asuka listened to Shinji's retreating footsteps and exhaled slowly. She hadn't even realized she was holding her breath when he was at her door.

"Come on, Asuka, get a grip," she said and rolled up so she was sitting.

She looked at her hand as if it would tell her something. She thought about everything one last time. She had made the first move, as planned, convincing him to play a duet with her. While it was an enthralling experience, it didn't compare to when he had hugged her.

Was it the contact? No, Asuka was sure it wasn't. If it had been, something deep in the back of her head wouldn't be blocking her from simply marching out there and initiating more contact. There was something else to it.

Asuka thought real hard about that moment. She had been venting a lot of pent up frustration, so the whole thing was a mess as she remembered it. That hug had stopped her though. Thinking back now and looking at the details, it made everything else seem unimportant. But it wasn't just any hug, it had been given by Shinji.

Maybe that's what it was. Asuka had to blink to make sure she was awake as her mind picked out that detail. It was Shinji giving the hug that made it so powerful. Maybe what she wanted was for him to make the move, to show he cared about her.

"He already said he did though," she said to herself, and mentally crossed that off. Still, something about him initiating that hug made her want it to happen that way again. Just thinking about it made her heart beat faster.

"Argh, this is driving me nuts!" she suddenly shouted.

"What's that, Asuka?" Shinji asked from down the hall. "Are you alright?"

"Er, yeah!" she yelled back so he could hear her.

Asuka waited a moment to see if Shinji was going to keep talking, but was relieved when she was met with silence. Everything was as it should be. Shinji was cooking dinner and she was left alone.

Asuka suddenly jumped up to her feet like she had just been slapped.

"Wait a minute, this isn't what I wanted!" she shouted out her thoughts.

Having everything at the status quo was not what Asuka had been planning on at all, and now she found herself in a panic.

"That dense, idiot!" she howled and ran out of her room.

"What's that?" Shinji called from the kitchen. He wasn't sure what he had heard, but Asuka was clearly screaming about something. He recalled her mentioning it being that time of the month at school though, so he didn't think much of it.

Asuka dashed into the kitchen and waited for Shinji to turn around. When he did, she directed him to come to her with her finger.

_Oh no... what now?_ Shinji wondered. He walked to her slowly, wary of what she wanted.

Shinji stopped about a foot away from Asuka, with obvious fear in his eyes. Asuka didn't know what he was so afraid of, but also didn't care. Her ability to decipher things had been trampled by the train of thought now running through her head. In times like this, her instincts forced old habits to take charge of what she did.

"Well, what is it?" Shinji asked nervously.

Asuka did not speak. The only sound was that of the food simmering in the pan Shinji had left. After a few seconds of trying to force out words, Asuka relented and simply pulled Shinji into a rather rough hug.

Shinji choked, half from the shock, and the other half from how tightly Asuka's arms were crushing him. At first, he thought he was actually being attacked. It wasn't until his brain had a chance to catch up to his instincts when he slowly relaxed.

"Asuka, what's wrong?" Shinji asked.

Asuka sighed at Shinji's question. He hadn't returned the hug, or done anything at all. She really did marvel at how clueless he could be sometimes.

"Use your head, dummy," she said as she rested her chin on Shinji's shoulder.

Shinji did as he was told, but didn't have much to go on. The day had gone by so well ever since that awkwardness of the morning. He really thought things were going to return to normal. A return to stability wasn't such a bad idea in his mind.

It had become clear though, that something was amiss for Asuka. Shinji quickly rattled off everything that typically caused problems, but none of them had occurred. He also threw out her period being the cause, because if anything, that caused violence.

_What is it? _he wondered. _What is making her act so differently all of a sudden?_

As the seconds ticked by, Shinji was becoming increasingly aware of Asuka's warmth. The hug she was giving him had her body pressed against his, and it wasn't making things any easier for him to focus. Met with more dead ends, he turned to the nagging itch in his chest. If he couldn't figure it out, he'd take a page out of Asuka's book. He'd just do something.

Without another thought, Shinji returned Asuka's hug. He felt the shorter girl's warm body as his arms wrapped around her and let out a sigh. She felt so soft and delicate to his touch, a sharp contrast to her usually strong, aggressive nature.

Asuka felt shivers run through her body as Shinji's arms embraced her. She recognized this feeling as what she was seeking, and let out her own sigh. Once Shinji's hands began to rub small circles on her back, she felt all of her tension melt away.

Shinji couldn't believe what he was doing, but was relieved when Asuka relaxed to his touch. Nothing made sense, and yet every was perfect. Shinji turned his head to smell Asuka's hair and let it fill him completely. He really liked this, and knew there was no way he could go back now.

"Everything's going to be different, huh?" he said into her ear.

Asuka felt herself tingling when she felt Shinji's breath on her ear. Her excitement could barely be contained at the sound of his words finally confirming her hopes.

"You better believe it," she whispered back.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Another chapter down, trying to chop down some of the mysteries. Let me know what you think of my time given to everything. Some people have noted that Rei's kind of taken a back seat, but I assure you she's not a throw away character in this story. I will say that Shinji and Asuka are the "main characters" in terms of focus, but all of the classic characters will still have big parts.


End file.
